Secret of the Cursed Mask: Michiru's Journey
by OrionPax09
Summary: Every story has a beginning. And for Michiru Kururugi, the story of his adventure begins here as he looks to unravel the secret of the cursed mask...
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Secret of the Cursed Mask: Michiru's Journey

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

As the bus rumbled down one of the many streets of Tokyo, the people riding it were aware of many things. They were aware of the sun slowly setting beneath the horizon, painting the sky a vivid montage of dark reds and brilliant gold. They were aware of the many towering buildings that bracketed the bus on both sides.

But most of all, they were aware of an ongoing discussion between a couple of junior high students who were standing next to the side of the bus while holding on to straps hanging from a bar for support. Two boys that were speaking about matters of the heart.

"What?!" Michiru yelped in clear surprise. He was a fairly unremarkable boy at first glance, with blue-gray eyes and brown hair whose school uniform consisted of a white shirt with blue stripes and a shield-like crest on the pocket that was situated over his heart. The shirt had blue stripes on its short sleeves that matched the tie he wore. He also wore a simple pair of brown pants and white sneakers and had a book bag slung on his back. And he also wore a look of incredulous surprise as he looked at one of his fellow students and declared, "You've gotta be kidding me, Koji! Are you sure they're going steady?!"

As several other passengers on the bus turned looks of surprise at Michiru, his companion, a boy with dark hair and brown eyes who wore the same school uniform leaned in closer to him. "C'mon!" he muttered in a lower voice. "You don't have to go and flip out over it!" Then he stood up straighter and closed his eyes, almost looking like an adult in the presence of a small child who still hadn't figured out the birds and the bees. "Boy, you sure are clued out when it comes to noticing stuff like that. One look at them and it's so obvious!"

Cocking his head slightly to the side, Michiru wondered, "Do you really think so?"

Without hesitation, Koji replied, "Yeah...like another obvious couple."

Michiru frowned somewhat at this. He really didn't like gossiping about people he knew, and to be honest, he was a bit tired after the long day he had had at school that day, and he knew that he was in for an even longer evening and quite possibly a lecture when he returned home that day. He and his family lived and tended to the Kururugi Shrine, with his parents being the current priest and priestess of that Shrine. And on this day, they were holding their annual festival, which was one of their big sources of income and visitors. Which required that every member of the family be there and be ready to pitch in and help with the many visitors.

A festival that, thanks to problems at school, Michiru was already well and truly late for.

But as he considered Koji, Michiru frowned a bit more, and the prime motivator of the spreading of gossip nudged at his mind; curiosity. And as his curiosity nudged and niggled at him, it wasn't long before he could stand it no more, and finally gave in and asked. "What couple? What are you talking about?"

"Who else?" Koji replied in a playful manner. "Think about it; they're always together at the start of class, chatting together...they even sit next to each other in the back of our homeroom..."

It took Michiru several seconds to piece together this vague description, but when he did, his eyes bulged from their sockets in shock. _"Whaaat!?"_ he cried out, his cheeks taking on a reddish tinge. "You mean - Totokatsu and Momo-chan?!"

Once more, the people surrounding them directed curious gazes at the two boys, making noises of confusion as Koji once again leaned in closer to Michiru. "Chill out, already!" he demanded, his own cheeks flushing with humiliation. "Do you have to make such a big scene about it, you big doofus?!"

Chagrined by this admonishment, as well as the fact that the number of eyes falling upon them was making him feel quite uncomfortable, Michiru hesitantly returned, "Well, it's just... they're still only in junior high."

Rolling his eyes at this, Koji countered. "Are you serious?! _Already_ in junior high is more like it! It's not exactly unusual, you know; there are _plenty_ of guys at our school that already have girls!" With that, the raven-haired youth glanced off to the side and raised his free hand. "Let's see...there's Sakkai, and there's Akira," he went on, lowering a finger with each name he listed, "And Shion, and...hmm - oh, yeah, and Takuya, he -"

"Wait, Takuya?!" Michiru cried out in pure shock. _"Takuya_ has a girlfriend?! Are you _sure_ about that?!"

"Yeah, sure!" Koji replied with a nod. Only to frown somewhat at the stunned expression Michiru wore. "Wait, you mean you didn't know?"

Lowering his eyes to the floor, Michiru gave a slight shake of his head. "No...this is the first I've heard of it."

Several second passed as the bus continued to roll down the streets, the relative silence left in the wake of that stunning surprise weighing heavily upon Michiru as he thought about Takuya and the fact that he had found someone special to be with. Had done this...and hadn't even said anything about it. That Koji would know about something like this when Michiru didn't.

Issuing a heavy sigh at this, Michiru's face fell even more. "Wow, what a shocker this has been," he admitted in a dismal tone of voice. "Why wouldn't Takuya tell me about something like this? I thought I was his good friend..."

Making a thoughtful noise at this, Koji then placed his free hand to his chin. "Well," he began in a thoughtful manner, "it could be that he didn't want to make you feel bad."

Glancing over at Koji, Michiru wondered, "What do you mean?"

Opening his eyes, Koji returned Michiru's look. "You know," he began...right before he smiled a cat-like smile, "because _you_ don't have a girlfriend yet!"

Wincing at this, Michiru felt his cheeks flush with color right before he made a point of staring at the floor. Giving Koji more cause to chuckle as he said, "Wow, you sure blush easily, Michiru! Ha ha!"

Really wishing that he hadn't even bothered asking about who had found girlfriends and what-not, Michiru just stood there, feeling his face burn, until at least the bus driver spoke over the loudspeaker. "Attention. The next stop is the Kururugi Shrine. Kururugi Shrine," came the polite female voice. "Please ring the bell if you want to get off."

"Well, this is our stop," Koji declared without hesitation before pressing the button.

As a pleasant dinging was heard, Michiru sighed once more. _I just hope Kaname told Mom and Dad about my homeroom running overtime!_ he fretted inwardly. _Because if she didn't...oh, man...!_

* * *

"Here you go!" Kaname Kururugi cheerfully spoke as she handed another customer a paper napkin filled with nice, crisp taiyaki she had recently finished cooking. "Some taiyaki, and a lemon soda! Now be careful; they're still hot!"

"Sure, thanks!" the young man returned as he turned away, leaving Kaname to face another customer.

Sighing slightly as she took the next person's order, Kaname went to work. Without a doubt, the Doll Festival of Wishes was the busiest time of the year for the Kururugi Shrine and her family. She didn't know how this tradition had come to be; the vague legends that had inspired it had likely been lost to time over the many centuries her ancestors had celebrated this festival. But there was no doubt that it was the biggest local event, and every year, plenty of people came to celebrate or garner some business for themselves. Even as she worked, some other people had set up stands on the grounds of the Kururugi Shrine, and were marketing their own goods and wares or operating festival booths like Kaname herself was. As she worked and sold tasty treats such as taiyaki, takoyaki, and dango on sticks that she had cooked, the Kururugi girl watched as some of the other regulars to the festival went about their own work. Nearby was the owner of a small okonomiyaki restaurant, a girl whose long pigtail was held in place by a large bow in her hair, which stood in stark contrast to the large spatula she carried on her back. There was also that odd Chinese girl with purple hair and her ramen stand, and many, many others. All of whom were busy as they catered to the folks who had come to enjoy the festival.

As Kaname finished tending to her latest customer, she was able to pause and look at a young couple making their way across the ground of the Shrine that was her family's home. The girl was dressed in a purple kimono while the boy was dressed in more modern garments, but both of them were carrying the simple wooden dolls that were the centerpiece of her family's tradition.

"Sooo…" the girl coyly asked as the two of them walked along, "...whose name did you write on _your_ doll?"

The boy laughed lightly before replying, "What about you? Whose name did _you_ write?"

Chuckling at the teasing exchanges between the couple, Kaname couldn't help but a touch of envy as she turned her gaze towards a matronly woman in a light blue kimono who was addressing what the Kururugi girl presumed to be her daughter, who was wearing a cute pink kimono. "See? You just write the name of someone special on the doll," she explained, writing a name on the back of her own doll. "And then, you'll be able to see them."

The little girl smiled in delight at this. "Wow, Mommy! It's like magic!"

 _Ah, magic,_ Kaname smiled fondly, remembering her younger, more fanciful years. _I wish I was young enough to believe in fantasies like that..._

Shaking her head slowly and hoping that the little girl's innocence would last a while longer, Kaname was brought back to the moment when a familiar voice groaned, "Aww, man! I'm _so_ late!"

Swinging her gaze in the direction the voice had come from, Kaname smiled as she watched her twin brother Michiru dashing away from the bus he had just disembarked and frantically running up the short flight of steps that led to the Kururugi Shrine. "Hey, bro!" she called out, smiling as he approached. "I see you finally managed to escape the gulag!"

Groaning somewhat as he darted over towards Kaname's stand, Michiru heaved a deep breath before replying, "Yeah, no thanks to Ms. Hanzaki! She almost made me stay even _later_ for cleanup duties before I told her about the festival!" Then he fixed his twin sibling with a look and said, "Just _please_ tell me you told Mom and Dad about my homeroom running late!"

Giving a slight smile, Kaname shrugged. "I told them. And Mom, she took it okay," she explained, nodding towards their mother, who was dressed in the red hakama and white haori that was typical of a Japanese miko, very much like the outfit Kaname herself currently wore. Their mother also had her hair done up in a long ponytail and wore glasses and a smile as she handed one of the many simple wooden dolls marked with a crimson pentagram to another patron of the festival. "But, Dad...he wasn't too happy about it. If I were you, bro, I'd hurry up and get to work before you wind up grounded for _life!"_

It was all Kaname could do to not laugh as Michiru visibly winced at this. "Okay, thanks," he grumbled, already turning to find their father. But before he started off, he paused and glanced back at his sibling. "And be sure you don't wind up eating all the taiyaki _again!_ Unless you _want_ to be a...hippie!"

Her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, Kaname watched as Michiru chuckled and darted away. Leaving her too startled to manage a retort until he was out of sight. "Ohh...just get lost, bro!" she grumbled in a good-natured manner.

* * *

Michiru just laughed at himself as he continued towards the stand where he knew his father had to be. He and Kaname had a good relationship, and they frequently joked and played tricks that they knew would not hurt the other's feelings. And after the long day he had already had and the chewing out he was all but certain to be on the receiving end of, he had been in dire need of a good laugh.

Sadly, Michiru's good humor was all too short-lived, for before long, he came to the stand where his father was selling the various charms and other odds and ends that were made and sold here at the Kururugi Shrine. Pausing for a brief moment, Michiru gave a slight sigh, for his father was a formidable figure with a stern expression, one that was enhanced by his well-trimmed beard. And he _really_ wasn't looking forward to this.

But at the same time, Michiru knew that putting off the inevitable would do him no good and would in all likelihood make his situation even worse. So as he passed by such things as the pit where people were presently tossing their signed dolls for the ceremonial blaze to take place later and the various stands, such as the one where his mother was working, Michiru arrived at the stand where his father was. "I'm here, Dad!" he called out as he arrived, panting slightly. His father was presently studying the array of items available for sale when the Kururugi boy added, "Sorry I was so late. I -!"

"I know. Kaname told me what happened," Michiru's father replied in a somewhat gruff manner as he turned to face his son. "But _how_ did this happen?! Your teachers _know_ this is the Doll Festival of Wishes! And that you have responsibilities!"

Wincing somewhat at this, Michiru sheepishly replied, "I know, but...my teacher kept insisting that school was more important than a festival. Even when _we're_ the ones running it!" Giving a sheepish smile, he glanced off to the side before adding, "Look, I'll - I'll go get changed! I'll be right back!"

Michiru promptly turned to leave. But before he could take a step, his father spoke in a gentler fashion. "Wait, hold on." Making a thoughtful noise in his throat, the brown-haired boy looked back his father, whose expression had softened. "I can handle things here for now, but I'm running low on a few things. Please go to the storehouse and bring me some more amulets."

Glad that things hadn't been worse and the chewing out he had gotten had been nowhere near as bad as he had dreaded, Michiru smiled easily and gave his father a thumbs-up. "Got it!" he replied, already starting into a dash. "I'll be back in no time flat!"

With that, Michiru darted past the crowds meandering about the grounds of his home and hurried off past the house that had been in his family for several generations. There he found the storehouse that was almost as old as the Kururugi Shrine itself, raised up off the ground proper by its wooden foundation. Without hesitation, he darted up the newer concrete steps that had been set in place by his grandparents and opened the twin doors of the storehouse.

As the doors opened with a distinctive creaking noise, Michiru paused to look inside, the light of the setting sun providing minimal illumination. As crow cawed somewhere in the distance, the Kururugi boy studied the inside for a little while longer before venturing the relative darkness of the storehouse interior. "Hmm...let me think..." he mused, racking his brain as he tried to dredge up the events of the previous year. In particular, the cleanup efforts from the previous Doll Festival of Wishes. "Dad put the box with the amulets...somewhere in the back, didn't he?"

Fingering his chin as he considered the many odds and ends that his family kept safe and secure in the storehouse, Michiru frowned as he considered the deeper darkness within. "I should've stopped to grab a flashlight," he murmured, only to shrug and continue forward, arms outstretched. "Oh, well...it's not like there's anything dangerous in here, so -"

But even as he used his hands to search for anything that might get in his way while his eyes slowly adjusted to the relative gloom of the storehouse, Michiru stepped on a faded red pentagram, not unlike the ones marked upon the dolls his family sold. With a pained groan of wood the only warning he had before the floorboards gave beneath his weight. Crying out in shock and surprise, Michiru flailed his arms about, trying to stay standing, but as his foot fell beneath the floor, he fell as well, and ultimately crashed down upon his posterior.

Landing in a seated position that he supported by holding himself up with his hands, Michiru winced at the dust that had arisen from his undignified predicament. His right leg was stuck up to its calf in the floor and was already stinging mightily. Right along with his butt, his hands, and his pride.

"Oh...when was the last time we did maintenance in here?!" Michiru demanded in a pained voice as he scowled irritably. "This floor's totally rotten!" Then he heaved a pained sigh before adding, "About as rotten as my luck today!" Giving a slight shake of his head, as if to wonder what he had done to deserve this, Michiru sighed before pushing himself forward onto one knee, already moving to get himself out of the hole he had worked himself into. "I'll tell Dad about it so we can get it fixed later. Right now, I - _wha-?!"_

The damage started by his unexpected fall spread, and before Michiru realized what was happening, more of the floor shattered and fell beneath his weight. Crying out in panic, the Kururugi boy flailed about desperately for some kind of handhold. But his hands found no purchase as he sank into the crumbling floor, brilliant blue light billowing up from below. Panicked beyond the capacity for rational thought, Michiru tumbled through the floor, and found himself immersed in a maelstrom of light. With the last thing he remembered before falling into darkness was a strange void, a space that seemed to exist between two worlds...

* * *

Far away, in a place where darkness reigned supreme, a strange sculpture shaped like a pentagram stood on a small table, with four sets of eyes studying. Four sets of eyes that looked on patiently, watching and waiting as the sculpture sudden lit up with a blue fire.

"Ah...so it worked," smiled one of the onlookers as the sculpture rapidly burned down to nothing. "He's on his way."

"Yes," agreed one of the people there.

"Are you sure this will work?" wondered another. "Didn't you tell us that your little scheme won't work unless this boy's strong enough?"

"That's right. But he _will_ be strong. Strong enough to make this work," the second speaker declared, his voice muffled by his mask. "One way or another, he _will_ be strong enough for this."

"Agreed," the first speaker declared, his voice laced with a cruel chuckle. "We'll see to that..."

* * *

Author's Notes: And here we have it; a novelization of "InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask"! I hope you all enjoy, and that you read and review! And hopefully, check out my other stories!

Now, I'm sure some of you might be wondering what motivated me to start this project. Well, it's simple; with college and so much else going on in my life, I was having trouble getting stuff done. That's when I was going through some of my files on my computer and happened upon a partial script I had done from the game as a reference for my works! It might be incomplete, but I figured that it would be a great start point for a story. Also, lately, I've been wanting to develop on some of the events that had taken place in the game, and figured that this would be a good way to do, and get my creative juices flowing again!

Also, I have to realize that not everybody has played the Secret of the Cursed Mask, and this would be a nice thing for those who hadn't to read, and get a bead on what's going on in my Legacy of the Cursed Mask stories. I don't know how regularly I'll update; probably when my writing slows down and I need that extra boost to get back in gear. Still, I hope you all enjoy! And please, if you can, contribute to me on ! It would really help me!


	2. Not In Kansas Anymore

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Secret of the Cursed Mask: Michiru's Journey

Chapter 2: Not In Kansas Anymore...

As Michiru's mind slowly rose up from the depths of unconsciousness, he became subtly aware of certain things. His nose was pricking at the strong scent of plant life, his ears were filled with the gentle sounds of birds singing, and he felt something hard and lumpy beneath him. And while he had not yet fully awakened, he was capable of realizing that these sensations were wrong. That they were not the sort of things that he should be waking up to in the morning. Or any other time, for that matter.

"Ohh..." Michiru blearily groaned as his eyes slowly cracked open, only to be greeted with a big, light blur. "Where...where am I...?"

Slowly, more and more of the fog of sleep lifted from his mind, and Michiru's eyes fully opened...and revealed the boughs of many trees to him. And beyond them was a brilliantly blue sky with fluffy white clouds wafting past, carried on the gentle winds.

All of which were very pretty, and under normal circumstances, Michiru might well have continued to lay there and enjoy the serene experience. Except for the fact that he was waking up more and more, and recalling what exactly happened before he had awoken.

"Hang on...I remember -!" Michiru got out, immediately returned to full alertness as he shoved himself up off of his back and propped himself up into a seated position. There he began looking wildly about, his eyes widening with ever increasing shock as he took in his new surroundings.

There was absolutely no sign of the storehouse or the foundation of it where Michiru would have expected to have wound up after falling through the floor. Nor was there any sign of his house, his family, the Kururugi Shrine or the city or absolutely _anything_ that he would have expected to wake up seeing. Instead, all the Kururugi boy could see were trees and plants and bushes as far as the eye could see. He could see and hear birds fluttering overhead, and as he looked at the ground, he could see that the stiff and unpleasant thing he was lying upon was a path cutting through this wooded area.

"Wait...a _forest?!_ What am I doing _here?!_ I just fell through the _floor..._ and now I'm out _here?!"_ Michiru demanded incredulously. Shaking his head in disbelief, he slowly clambered to his feet and surveyed the situation more. "Where's my house?! How - how the heck did I get out here?! Wherever _here_ is?!"

Michiru had no answers to his questions, nor did there seem to be anyone around to provide him with those answers. "I don't recognize... _any_ of this!" he declared, speaking aloud if only for the sake of hearing a human voice. "I - can anybody hear me?!"

There was no answer to his call. No voices. No sign of any people. Nothing at all that was familiar.

"Father?!" Michiru cried out in mounting desperation. "Father?! Can you hear me?!"

Again, there was no response. Nothing to indicate that anyone knew where he was or would be coming to his aid.

"Mom?! Dad?! Kaname?!" Michiru cried out once more, well on the road to full-blown panic. "Can anybody hear me?! Where is everyone?!"

Still, no response. No sign of anybody or anything familiar. Nothing at all.

Fear gnawing at his insides and without any ideas as to what else he could do, Michiru started down the path. He moved slowly at first, cautious and fearful in this unfamiliar place. But as he continued to move forward and his anxiety mounted, his pace quickened into a fretful jog. But when this failed to bring him within view of any landmark he could identify or any person that might help him, he sped up even more, and was soon running along the path, casting looks this way and that, searching for anything and anyone that might be able to help him.

But Michiru's search was in vain. There was nothing to be seen but plants and birds and a few small animals going about the daily business of survival. No sign of his home or a city or anything. And eventually, his efforts took their toll on him. His legs began to burn from the exertion, and his lungs heaved desperately, unable to take in enough oxygen to sustain his efforts.

And there was still nothing but this forest. Nothing and no one.

His panic giving way to despair and confusion, Michiru heeded his body's demands and slowly ground to a halt. And for a long time, he stood there, hunched over and bracing himself up by placing his hands upon his thighs as he stood there, sucking in breaths of precious oxygen and allowing himself to recover...and think.

"This...how can this be?!" Michiru slowly panted out. "There's...no one... _nothing_ here?! How did I get here?! Who took me, and...and why, and...?!"

The questions echoed through the woods, but once again, there was no answer. Leaving the Kururugi boy to wrack his brains, to try and come up with a way of finding his way out of this mess. And eventually, an idea came to him.

"Wait - my cell phone!" Michiru gasped as his eyes lit up with hope. Reaching into his pocket, he hurriedly dragged forth his cell phone and switched it on. "I can call home or the police or something and - _huh?!"_

The cell phone was fully charged, that wasn't a problem. Nor did it appear to have broken over the course of whatever had transpired to bring him to this place. But as Michiru studied the screen of his phone, he saw something that made no sense whatsoever. "No...no bars?!" he incredulously demanded as he looked at the display that showed reception strength and saw not one of the bars that signified his ability to reach the outside world. "But - that can't be right! I'm outside, but there's no signal?! Just where am I, anyway?!"

His cell phone had no answers. And without the ability to connect to the outside, it was completely useless. Which left Michiru to groan in disgust before shutting the device down and shoving it back into his pocket before contemplating his options. Which at the moment were remarkably few; he could stand around and do nothing and hoped that someone would eventually find him, or continue to follow the path and hope it led him to something vaguely resembling civilization.

"What a choice," Michiru frowned as he once again studied his surroundings. "Still...this path is pretty worn. Must be used a lot, so...if I keep following it, I'm bound to find...something." Pausing to issue a sigh and shake his head, he then muttered, "I just hope that whatever I find, it isn't a bear or a wolf or anything like that..."

Annoyed and scared and not liking this in the least but without any better ideas, Michiru set off down the path. Making certain to stay on the alert for anything that could indicate someone who might be able to help...or something dangerous.

Michiru had no idea how long he wound up traipsing down the path. It was definitely longer than minutes, but not long enough to be hours. All he knew was that it had been long enough for his fears to fade and be replaced with a deeper pessimism and even boredom. There was simply no sign of anything human or made by human hands as far as the eye could see. Nothing to indicate that anybody was looking for him or that there was a source of shelter and other necessities anywhere nearby. Something made even worse was that the path Michiru was on branched off from time to time, and without any better ideas as to what to do, he would just take a path with impunity, hoping that it took him somewhere that was at least closer to home

Then, with fear far from his mind and dejection having long since settled in, Michiru wended his way past yet another fork in the path...and felt his heart leap with joy. For well down the path he was on, past the trees and bushes, he could see three heads. Three very _human_ heads. And while they were still a distance away, he could tell that they were talking about something.

"Oh...thank goodness!" Michiru gasped in absolute relief. "Maybe if they tell me where I am, I can get to a city or village or _something_ and get back home!"

Hope renewing his flagging energies, Michiru hastened down the path, and before long, he was past all the trees and bushes that obstructed his view of the three people, allowing him to get a better look at them. There were two men, an older man and one that appeared to be about his own father's age, as well as a woman. They were definitely talking about something and even seemed worried. But Michiru didn't care about that. All he cared about was that there was someone who could help him. Someone who...could...

"Wait a minute...!" Michiru started, slowly stumbling to a halt as he got a better look of the trio down the path. "Kimonos? Wh-why are they wearing kimonos?"

But even as he asked this, Michiru realized there was more to it than that. The kimonos the three people wore were worn and old, like they had seen a lifetime of service. Also, the look of the people...they were clearly scared. As scared as Michiru had been not that long ago, if not more so.

 _But why?! What's going on?!_ Michiru wondered as he began to slowly back away, getting a very bad feeling about this. _Who are they? Where -?!_

Michiru's foot came down on a dead branch, which snapped so loud that he practically jumped out his skin. And even worse, it snapped loudly enough that the people down the path heard it as well. As one, they turned in Michiru's direction, and their features creased in shock.

"What the - what _is_ that?!" the elder man demanded.

"I don't know!" the woman wondered, glancing at the younger man. "Father?!"

"I - that must be it! The demon!" the man declared, his expression instantly shifting from fearful concern...to sudden rage.

"Huh?! A demon?! Where?!" Michiru started, instantly whirling about to look back the way he had come. For a few seconds, he glanced this way and that, searching for whatever had so alarmed the three odd people. But he saw nothing, heard nothing, to indicate danger. "Wh-what are you talking about?!" he shakily wondered as he turned back to the trio. "I don't see any -!"

"You're right!" the woman seconded, her features twisting with anger. "That _must_ be it!"

"What?!" Michiru started, getting an even _worse_ feeling now. And it was a feeling that steadily got even worse when he saw the man raising a scythe. "Wh-what are you -?!"

"Demon!" the scythe-wielding man snarled hatefully. "Where have you taken my daughter?! _Answer me!"_

 _They think_ I'm _a demon?! Where the heck am I?!_ Michiru thought. Slowly backing away from the three irate strangers, he held out his hands in protest. "Wait, but I'm not a -!"

"Don't let it escape!" the woman ordered. _"Get it!"_

"Don't let it get away!" the scythe-wielder roared before rushing towards Michiru.

"Stop! _Wait!"_ Michiru initially cried out. When these words failed to have any effect and without any better ideas, he turned on his heels and ran. He ran as fast as he was able, hurriedly dashing down the path that had once seemed so empty and boring.

 _"Stop the demon!"_ the scythe-wielding man whose sanity Michiru was questioning roared as the trio pursued the Kururugi boy.

Such was the sheer outrage and desperation in the man's voice that Michiru found himself glancing over his shoulder at his pursuers. This was a decision he immediately regretted, for the look of panic-fueled fury quailed him, very nearly sending him stumbling to the ground. Gasping as he returned his focus to the road ahead where it belonged, he pushed his body for all of the speed he could muster. Which wasn't very much, unfortunately.

 _I swear, if I ever get back home, I will_ never _slack off in gym ever again! Ever!_ Michiru vowed in his heart of hearts. As he made the mistake of darting another glance back at his pursuers, however, it looked like the odds of him having a chance to keep his vow were very poor.

Then, a faint stroke of luck befell Michiru. The eldest of the three stumbled, falling to one knee and prompting the other two to pause and look back, already moving to assist him. "No! Don't waste time on me!" the old man begged of the others. "Get the demon! You have to get Sachi back! You...!"

But even as the old man spoke, Michiru was taking full advantage of this lapse in pursuit to put more distance between himself and three strangers. Panting desperately, the Kururugi continued to run in spite of his burning lungs and protesting legs, until at last he came to a fork in the path that he had passed earlier.

 _Which way do I go?! Which way?!_ Michiru demanded of himself as paused, glancing between one path and the other. _I have to lose those lunatics before they catch up! But which way will -?!_

Then Michiru spotted something that made his decision for him. A short distance down one of the paths was a smooth stone, roughly the size of a softball. And the instant his eyes fell upon it, a plan formed in Michiru's mind. Not much of a plan, but perhaps enough for him to be able to shake his pursuers and put some distance between himself and them.

Dashing down the path, Michiru scooped up the stone and then darted into some underbrush. Once off the path proper, he knelt down out of sight and looked back towards the path he had been on, not doubting for an instant that at least two of the trio from before would not be long in pursuing.

As he waited and watched, his breathing sounding heavily in his ears, Michiru then gasped in realization and clamped his hands in front of his mouth. But even so, he could still hear his heart pounding like thunder in his chest as he waited and watched, trying not to think about all the ways that this potential gambit could backfire horribly. Trying hard to fight down the urge to start running again. To run and run and keep running...

And then it was too late. For it was then that Michiru's pursuers emerged into view.

Fighting down the urge to cry out, Michiru watched as the scythe-wielder and the woman appeared. And he watched as, like he had before, they paused when they came to the fork in the path and started glancing between one path, then the next. "Which way, Father?!" the woman plaintively wondered as she looked frantically about. "Which way?!"

The scythe-wielder scowled furiously, making it clear that he didn't know which path Michiru had taken, either. Which was all the incentive the Kururugi boy needed to put a plan that he had seen in more than a few movies into action. _Here's hoping that they don't watch too many movies!_ Michiru grimly thought as he carefully reared back before throwing the stone far down the path into another patch of bushes. Then he shrank back into the underbrush, hoping against hoping that he hadn't signed his own death warrant.

The instant the stone struck the brush, the sound of a bird crying out in protest was heard. And between the brush and the bird, enough noise was made that the two lunatics looked straight down the path, with the scythe-wielder snarling. "There!" he cried out, pointing down the path with his scythe. "That way! _Get him!"_

Without wasting another moment, both lunatics started running down the path at full speed. Not even bothering to look to their sides and notice a terrified teenager scrunching down into the bushes, clasping his hands over his mouth in order to muffle his own breathing. Watching with wide eyes as the two apparent refugees from some tourist trap or an insane asylum continued their frantic pursuit. Apparently unaware that they were presently leaving their intended prey further and further behind.

Several seconds watched as Michiru continued to watch, not even daring to breathe as the two lunatics disappeared down the path. Once he could no longer see them or hear their hurried footsteps, the Kururugi boy slowly, shakily raised his hands from his mouth, allowing his burning lungs to draw deep of the blessed oxygen.

 _I have to keep moving!_ Michiru thought, his mind a jumbled mess of confusion and fear. _Sooner or later, they're either gonna give up or figure out they were tricked! And when that happens -!_

The image of once again facing his pursuers and their cruel scythe shaking him to the bone, Michiru gulped loudly before practically falling out of the brush and out onto the path proper. Practically jumping out of his skin at the noise this made and half-expecting this sound to lure his pursuers back after him, he then scrambled to get back up to his feet. Jumping nervously about as if he was on the verge of leaping clear out of his skin, Michiru glanced up the path his pursuers had taken, then back down the path they had come from. Taking just long enough to make sure that there was no one else in sight, Michiru began running down the other path.

And Michiru ran. And he ran. And he kept on running, fear carrying him as far away as possible.

It wasn't until Michiru reached a small field of flowers that the fuel provided by fear gave out, and his legs sagged beneath him like jelly and his lungs forced him to suck in one heavy breath after another. Gasping in lungful after lungful, the Kururugi boy glanced back the way he had come and saw nothing. No sign of his pursuers, or anyone else. He was alone again. And even more thoroughly lost than before.

"I...I lost them..." Michiru sputtered out, utterly exhausted and barely able to stay on his own two feet. "But...why? Why did they...a demon? Why would they...?"

As this question echoed through Michiru's thoughts, it was promptly joined by the dozens of other questions that had mounded up in his mind since his arrival in this strange place. And as they multiplied without end in sight, what little strength remaining in his wearied frame gave out, leaving the Kururugi boy to fall to his knees. "How did I get here?!" he cried out, just barely catching himself with one hand as he stared at the ground beneath. "Where's my house?! My _family?!"_

There were no answers. There was no one to help him. And with tears of fear and exhaustion and frustration welling up in his eyes and the floodgates of his emotions breaking down more in the face of his latest crisis, Michiru cried out in despair and smashed his fist into the ground. _"Where am I?! What's happening?!"_

* * *

"Grrr...what a nuisance!" InuYasha grumbled sourly as he glared down at the ground and, more importantly, the remains of the pitiful excuses for demons he had just finished slaying. "Next time, stick time to going after someone who _can't_ fight back!"

The corpses didn't respond or remark on the fact that they would not have a 'next time'. InuYasha took a deep breath as he heaved his monstrous fang-shaped blade, the Tetsusaiga, and sheathed it. Noting the sound the demonic blade as it reverted to an old katana as it slid into its sheath, the half-demon glanced about, searching with all of his senses for any more troublemakers that might make their way to Kaede's Village.

"Lately, it seems like every demon across the land is going crazy!" InuYasha muttered, shaking his head sourly as he thought of recent events. Lately, a person couldn't go so much as ten steps outside of a village without the chance of running into a bunch of demons. And while they weren't much for him, they were certainly dangerous to the mortal traveler, especially when attacking in a pack. "Dammit...I sure hope Sango and Miroku can get some answers about what the hell is going on..."

Scowling as he thought about the fact that two of their number, as well as Sango's two-tailed companion Kirara, InuYasha considered their overall situation. On the one hand, they needed to get some kind of lead in finding their archenemy and finding out what was stirring the demons into such an agitated state. But at the same time, that left InuYasha and the others that remained at the village shorthanded. And while InuYasha had nothing but confidence in his strength and capabilities, he had to admit that he could only be in one place at a time. And with the local demons multiplying with such speed that they were putting rabbits to shame...

 _"Where am I?!"_ came a voice from somewhere in the distance, prompting InuYasha to look about as his keen ears locked in on the source. _"What's happening?!"_

Narrowing his eyes as his ears oriented on the source of the cry, InuYasha then swore vehemently. "Dammit to hell!"

Whoever had cried out had just made a target of himself. With all of the demons roaming the woods, pathetic as they might have been, there were bound to be at least one or two heading in the direction of whoever had just cried out. But what made it even worse was the fact that InuYasha could tell that, judging by the tone of voice and the words spoken, the person in question wasn't under attack, and had broadcast his location and apparent distress to every demon within earshot of his voice.

 _So whatever problem's this idiot's got on his hands is going to be a hell of a lot worse unless I get to him before any demons do!_ InuYasha scowled furiously even as he leaped up towards a branch of a tree. From there, he bounded from one tree to another, tracking the continued cries and noises that had followed in the wake of the initial cry. Already on the alert for any predatory demons that might have caught the sound of potential prey...

* * *

Michiru was exhausted, now more than before he had collapsed.

Before, it was his body that was tired from his frantic running about. But now, Michiru was emotionally spent. He had just spent what dregs of energy that still remained to him to vent all of the fear and confusion and despair that had been building up as a result of everything he had been through. He had howled and yelled and ranted and screamed for as long as his wearied lungs could bear, and now he was all screamed out. Leaving him down on his knees, holding himself up by one hand and panting his exhaustion, and with tears of fear and frustration spilling down his cheeks.

But as his frenzied and overwhelming emotions slowly subsided, Michiru's mind was able to reassert itself, and rational thought slowly returned. And the first thing he thought was the fact that his tantrum had been ill-advised.

 _I...I better get moving..._ Michiru thought, still heaving deep, weary breaths. _If those crazy people are somewhere close and they heard me..._

Grimacing at this possibility, Michiru heaved a deep, heavy breath before slowly pushing himself back up to his feet. He had no idea where he should go, or even if he might wind up going towards wherever the crazy people were or if he might wind up running into someone else who was as bad as they had been, but right now, he had no choice but to press forward, and hope that he found something that at least resembled civilization.

 _Still...where am I...?_ Michiru wondered in a dazed manner as he started towards the path through the woods. _And...those people...why did they think I was...a demon? Were they really_ that _crazy, or -?_

A rustling sound caught Michiru's ear, sending his frayed nerves into overdrive as he looked towards the source of the noise. "Wha-?!" he started, instinctively taking a step backward, already searching for the source of the noise. "Was that them, or...?"

Another rustling was heard, this time much louder than before. And it was soon followed a single large, green eye appearing in the shadows of the wood...and Michiru gasping in sheer terror.

"Wh-wha...?!" Michiru gasped in low horror as a massive figure shouldered its way into the field. It was almost twice as tall as he was, with lavender skin and the green cyclopean eye. Its legs were powerfully built versions of a bull's own hind legs, and its body was composed of huge, misshapen muscles with a large, bulging belly. It wore a loincloth composed of green fur with dark spots, and its head was marked by a single large horn. And as the Kururugi boy looked on, it's lips parted to revealed a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.

 _Impossible...!_ Michiru's terrified mind squeaked out as his eyes widened in consummate horror. _A d-demon...an_ actual _demon...?!_

"Well, how convenient!" the immense monstrosity grinned cruelly as he stomped his ways towards where Michiru trembled and quaked. "I was just getting hungry, and here I find something that smells good enough to eat!"

So close that Michiru could now smell the rancid breath spilling from its lips alongside its drool, the creature advanced upon him. "Wh-what?!" the Kururugi boy sputtered out, terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. "What are - _get away from me!"_

Without another thought, Michiru turned on his heel to run. But his body was already worn from his earlier exertions, and even as he moved to bolt, a dynamo struck him in the back, sending him flying. "Wha-ha-ha-ha!" the creature laughed cruelly even as the Kururugi boy went crashing down, landing hard on his back amongst the flowers. "You think you can get away from me...lunch?!"

Dazed and drained by the monstrous blow he had been subjected to, Michiru could only look on as the monstrous behemoth stomped towards him. His panic-stricken mind knew that he had to stand, had to get back up and start running, but his body wasn't working right. That blow had knocked him for a loop, and the connection between his brain and his body wasn't responding. Leaving him helpless as the creature advanced, reaching out for him.

"No...no...!" Michiru gasped, pure fear inscribing itself upon his very soul. _"Nooooooo!"_

And at this, the world seemed to go white around him. With the last thing he saw clearly being a blur of red off in the distance...

* * *

 _Dammit!_ InuYasha thought frantically as he bolted from one branch to the other, his goal finally coming into sight. Only to realize that he would not be nearly fast enough.

As the half-demon had feared, he had not been the only one to have heard the cries of the boy he now saw laying prone among the flowers. A fat, disgusting ogre was even now reaching for the boy with his immense claws, a look of gluttonous joy upon his face as he drooled in anticipation of an easy meal.

 _I'm not gonna make it in time!_ InuYasha realized even as he drew forth the Tetsusaiga. He was simply too far away to get to the demon before he could strike a fatal blow to the boy, and if he tried to invoke the Wind Scar, then he was guaranteed to strike the boy as well. Even as the half-demon looked on, the boy quaked with dread. He knew he was doomed, knew he was about to die, and...

And that's when something strange happened.

Before InuYasha's eyes, the boy's fear hit its climax. As his mouth went wide to scream, but no sound came out. His eyes practically bulged in terror, his pupils lost in a sea of fearful white. His heart thundered so loud that the half-demon's keen ears could hear it. And moments before the ogre could take him in his hand, a hazy red aura rose up from his frame.

 _What in the -?!_ InuYasha wondered.

"Hey!" the ogre protested, hesitating for a moment as he studied his prey, who was rigid with panic and his eyes had rolled up as if he was about to faint. "What do you think you're -?!"

As the red aura became more intense, a crimson circle with a star emblazoned in the center appeared beneath the boy, slowly spinning as it gradually grew larger, radiating even more of the potent red energy. Energy that rose up into the sky, becoming brighter and more intense as it slowly took greater form and definition. As InuYasha watched, a large paw stamped down upon the ground between the boy and the ogre, and was followed by another, and then two more. A long tail emerged from the growing form, as did a massive head with a mighty mane of flame.

 _Wait...a lion?!_ InuYasha thought incredulously as the creature made of flame glowered at the ogre, despite being somewhat smaller in size. _What is -?!_

"Oh, flame burning bright!" the boy suddenly called out, his voice distorted and strange. "Turn into a sword of wrath! _Raging Flame!"_

At these words, the lion roared savagely. Seeming to realize that he had bitten off more than he could chew, the ogre moved back a step, but it was already too late as the lion transformed into a massive burst of flame that struck the ogre in its protruding gut, and then enveloped the creature entirely.

Gaping in surprise, InuYasha watched as the ogre screamed helplessly and frantically, writhing helplessly within the grasp of the merciless flames that now surrounded it. Fire danced dangerously across the field, filling the air with a monstrous heat that forced InuYasha to shield his face from the blinding destruction that surrounded the ogre. All the while the hideous beast struggled and screamed and fought to free itself, but to no avail.

Then, mere seconds after the attack had been launched, the flames suddenly disappeared, and the ogre...the ogre was no longer screaming. No longer moving. He was just standing there, still as a statue. And as InuYasha lowered his arms, his eyes went wide with shock.

The ogre's body had been scorched gray, his skin charred and ashen, his fear frozen upon his face. And as InuYasha continued to look on, the creature's body began to break apart, chunks of charred flesh and bone breaking away and collapsing upon itself as clouds of noxious gas erupted from the crevasses left in the wake of the collapse. A collapse that accelerated, the ogre's body crumbling into a pile of char and ash until only the head remained. With the ogre's expression of sheer terror still engraved upon it, the head fell to the ground and bounced once, twice, and then a third time, before rolling to a stop. There it finally succumbed to the fate of the body and broke apart into nothingness.

InuYasha had seen a great many things in his life. He had experienced many horrible, terrifying things that would numb the minds of many. But as he studied the remains of the fallen ogre, all he could do was gasp, "What the hell...?!"

But even as the half-demon numbly studied the dispatched demon, a tired groan reached his ears. Looking about in shock, InuYasha watched as the boy he had once been so certain was about to die sagged on the ground, his eyes closing as he fainted among the flowers. Looking as normal and weak as most humans he had encountered over his life.

Except...

"Wait a minute...those clothes...!" InuYasha muttered, receiving yet another shock as he looked hard at the boy before him. "They're...they're are like the kind of thing I've seen people at Kagome's school wearing! But how -?! What is he -?!"

"Master InuYasha!" came an elderly, familiar voice. Starting at this sound, the half-demon looked about and saw a tiny speck bouncing through the field and make its way towards him.

"Wha-?! Myoga, where did you - what are you -?!" InuYasha sputtered out, caught between surprise and annoyance at this interruption. Only for annoyance to win out when he grumbled, "Dammit, figures you'd show up _after_ the fighting's over! What are you doing here, anyway?!"

"Kagome asked me to find you! Said something about there being trouble back at the village," Myoga tersely explained as he came to land upon one of the flowers. But as the little flea-demon looked at the figure that now lay insensate in the field, the aged flea muttered, "But...it seems that there's something else going on..."

"You noticed that, huh?!" InuYasha gruffly retorted, scowling at his late father's retainer before returning his attention to the strange figure before him.

"Master InuYasha, this...this boy..." Myoga hesitantly spoke, looking at the human with an expression of clear surprise. "Do you know who he is? Or where he came from?"

Snorting loudly, InuYasha once more sheathed the Tetsusaiga. "I have no idea _who_ he is, but it's pretty obvious where he came from," he grumbled as he studied the figure before him. "Just look at the kind of weird clothing he's wearing."

Pausing to study the garments of the boy, Myoga narrowed his bulging eyes. "Hmm...the style of his dress..." he murmured in a thoughtful manner. "Do you think that this boy...?"

"Came from Kagome's world?! Where else?!" InuYasha demanded as he came to study the boy, who was presently stirring lightly.

"But...if that's the case, then how did he come to be here?" Myoga wondered in a voice of clear surprise. "We're nowhere near the Bone-Eater's Well, so how -?!"

"I have no idea," InuYasha gruffly admitted as the boy groaned pitifully, sounding remarkably like Kagome when she was waking up, but she really was in no hurry to do so. "But we might be about to get some answers..."

* * *

Author's Notes: And here we have InuYasha finding a new mystery on his hands and Michiru just barely avoiding winding up in a demon's belly. Please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories?

Now those of you who played the game are most likely already noticing some minor changes, particularly with Myoga showing up when he did. But some allowances are made in a game situation that really wouldn't work in a story situation like this, so I will be making some changes here and there. Still, I hope you enjoy.

Fenikkusumaru, well, I figured that I hadn't seen a good novelization of "Secret of the Cursed Mask", I figured I could work on this and use it as a springboard to help get my writing going better on my other stories. And I do plan on putting some original twists in the mix, as well as fixing some plotholes from the game.

Uruz 11, yeah, I've recently been feeling bogged down...well, more bogged down by life. I needed something to help me get my stuff firing on all cylinders again, and this is it. And yeah, while I enjoyed the game, there were a few things that could have been done better. And don't even get me started on trying to slog through all of the demons in the game. And you guessed correctly about those eyes and their owners. I do hope that you enjoy what I have in mind.

WOLFWATCHER12, thank you. I try my best.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint, well, we did see that Michiru seemed pretty shy and easily flustered in the game, as was Kaname. And I did think it would be nice to give everyone a glimpse at the way things were between Michiru and Kaname back before everything happened. Yes, we will see Koji in Battle Across Time, once Michiru is spending some time in the modern world after the most recent fiasco. Good point, though. It is nice to see Michiru back when he was an ordinary teenager with ordinary worries and problems. Well, the title seemed natural. Michiru fell down a hole and wound up somewhere else, though no rabbits were involved. I do hope you and everyone else enjoys seeing how I build the relationships between Michiru and the others. That's one of the things that started bugging me in my Legacy stories: we see Michiru having these relationships, but we never really see how they came to be the way they are. I will introduce some original elements, but I will try and stick at least fairly close to the game. And yes, there was a pentagram on the floor where Michiru stepped and fell through the floor. I believe that was important as far as the spell that sent him back into the past is concerned.

Deiru Tamashi, I'm glad you like this so far. I hope I don't disappoint.

inginuyasha, yup, I'm going the Sango route. Well, I have a lot of fave moments between Michiru and Sango, but I really did like the scene with Sango standing among the flowers in addition to the ones you mentioned.

Dragoon Swordsman, yeah, I've seen my share of novelization attempts, and they all fall into the categories you mentioned. Which is disappointing, to say the least. I do hope you enjoy seeing how things started coming together between Michiru and Sango this story.

J4RRE77, I'm definitely planning on showing the thoughts of both Michiru and Sango as their relationship builds.

Gilgamesh The King of Heroes, okay, cool, I'm glad to hear that.


	3. Meeting New Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Secret of the Cursed Mask: Michiru's Journey

Chapter 3: Meeting New Friends

White. That was all Michiru could see as his mind slowly rose up from the depths of unconsciousness. A field of white that blotted out anything and everything. A dense fog that wrapped about his mind, making it near impossible for him to think, let alone remember much of anything."

"Ugh..." Michiru groaned in a low voice even as awareness slowly returned to him. "Am...am I dead...? What happened...to me...?"

"Hey, you!" came a gruff voice. One that Michiru didn't recognize in his current state. "Are you awake yet?"

"Huh...? Who's that...?" Michiru muttered in a wan voice, only for realization to kick in. "Does that mean...I'm alive...?

"C'mon! Wake up already!" came the unfamiliar voice once more, this time with greater impatience. "I ain't got all day, you know!"

But even as this grumpy voice sounded, Michiru sighed in relief. _Oh, wow...and I just had the worst nightmare of my entire life!_ he thought as he eagerly climbed his way back to the waking world, the white fog slowly fading. _Stranded in some crazy land...people thinking I was a demon...and then a hideous monster showing up and wanting to eat me and...and..._

It was at that point that the fog faded from Michiru's eyes, allowing him to see the world once more. And then he very nearly suffered a heart attack.

Hovering right in front of his face was a figure Michiru had never seen before. It was a boy that looked about the Kururugi boy's age, but that was where all sense of normalcy ended. The boy's hair consisted of a massive mane of unruly silver, and his eyes were golden with slitted pupils, almost like a cat's. He was wearing a red garment that Michiru couldn't see very well, as well as a beaded necklace, almost like a rosary. And to top all of that off, the boy's ears were popping out from the top of his head and looked like...

"What the... _dog ears?!"_ Michiru started, suddenly fully awake and aware. "What are you -?!"

But even as Michiru was asking this, he made the connection and realized that what he had just lived through had been no dream. He had really and truly been drawn someplace far from home, had been chased by those strange people and then very nearly devoured by the hideous beast from before. And as he looked at this creature that wasn't quite human, all the lingering terror he still felt from that moment came back and struck like a hammer blow, and sent him into full alertness. Gasping in sheer panic, he hurriedly scrabbled away from the boy and was given an even better look at the strange being that now confronted him.

"Hey, wait a sec!" the dog boy grumbled crossly as Michiru scooted along the ground away from him, too petrified to stand and run. "What are you freaking out about?! I'm not gonna eat you or anything!"

"But -!" Michiru sputtered helplessly as he took in the person before him. The dog boy wore a crimson kimono, and his fingernails ended in sharp claws. A katana hung in its sheath at his hip, and when he opened his mouth to speak, Michiru could see the fangs in his mouth.

"Look, I just want to ask you some questions, that's all!" the dog boy declared in an irritable manner. "Like for starters, how did you wind up here, and what was with that crazy technique you used to kill that demon?!"

Blinking a few times at this, Michiru just sat on the ground for a while, studying the figure that remained standing where he was. His only act that could even remotely be considered aggressive being the scowl that he was leveling at the Kururugi boy. "I...technique?" he repeated blankly, only for his eyes to go wide as the memories flooded his mind. "Oh, wait...that - thing that attacked me...!"

"Yeah, the big, dumb ogre you killed!" the dog boy declared in a gruff, grumpy manner. "So how'd you do that, anyway?! Conjure up that flame lion and the rest of it?"

Frowning somewhat as he tried to make sense of his own memories, Michiru felt his fear abating, at least to a degree. So far, the dog boy had made no moves to attack or even to try and get any closer to him, and his mannerisms weren't those of someone intent on causing harm. In all honesty, he acted more like a biker type Michiru had seen on the streets, or one of the tough guy types from school. And on top of that, while it was clear that he wasn't exactly human, he was nowhere near as monstrous as the creature that had come so close to eating him.

 _Actually, he reminds me of a character from one of the anime Kaname likes the watch,_ Michiru decided as he thought back to those animated specials that featured characters that were just a bit beastly. Magical girls with cat ears, men that could change into dragons, and more. _Still...I better be careful. Just in case his bite is worse than his bark!_

"I...I don't know what happened," Michiru eventually confessed, despite realizing just how lame that sounded. Something driven home when the dog boy's eyes widened in surprised disbelief. "The last thing I remember before I passed out was this...this red light surrounding me, and then...when I opened my eyes, I saw you."

 _"What?!_ Are you serious?!" the dog boy demanded in an incredulous manner. "How could you _not_ know something like that?! I heard you chanting some weird spell and everything!"

"Chanting a spell?!" Michiru repeated in an incredulous manner. "I - don't even remember... _anything_ like that!"

At this, the dog boy issued a heavy groan and smacked himself in the forehead. "I don't believe this..." he sourly grumbled. "How lame can you possibly be...?!"

"Hmm...I see..." came another voice, one much older than the dog boy. One that had Michiru sitting up and looking about in confusion. "That power came from his subconscious. This boy was so afraid of dying, he released the power without it being truly awakened."

"What the -?!" Michiru sputtered out as he glanced about, looking this way and that for the source of the voice. "Wh-who said that?!"

"Eh, that's just Myoga," the dog boy grumbled with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Why don't you come out of hiding and show yourself before he starts freaking out about you as well?"

"Good idea," the old voice agreed. "And I do think that it's past time for proper introductions."

A puzzled noise escaping Michiru's throat, he could only sit and watch as something small bounced into view. Frowning in confusion, he then watched as the tiny speck he had sighted bounded about the field he sat in before finally landing upon his leg. "What the -?!" the Kururugi boy started, his eyes widening as he took in what had to be the tiniest figure he had ever seen in his entire life. He was dressed in the same old-time clothes that the people he had seen before wore and was bald save for two tufts of gray hair on the sides of his head. But just like the dog boy, he had some abnormal body parts as well; he had four stubby arms and a strange pointed spike where a mouth should have been. "Whoa...what a tiny person," Michiru noted, the little being far too small and too aged in appearance to invoke any fear in the boy. "So...what exactly _are_ you?"

"I am Myoga, a flea-demon, and the personal bodyguard of Master InuYasha over there," the little person declared while gesturing at the dog boy.

"My _bodyguard?!"_ InuYasha incredulously repeated. "How can you _possibly_ call yourself my bodyguard when you run at the tiniest sign of danger?!"

Clearing his throat at this, Myoga continued with, "My apologies for his behavior. Master InuYasha is not very gifted at the social graces."

Despite everything, Michiru couldn't help but chuckle at this blatant understatement. "Uh, yeah. I guess," he finally replied as he glanced between the two figures. "And...I'm guessing that InuYasha is a demon or something, too?"

"Hmph!" InuYasha growled as he looked off to the side. "Good guess!"

"Yes. Master InuYasha is the son of my late Lord InuTaisho, a great and noble demon," Myoga went on to explain. "I can explain more about that later on. However, we _would_ like to know who you are, as well as precisely how you wound up here, of all places."

"Uh...my name is Michiru. Michiru Kururugi," Michiru introduced himself. "As for how I got here...I wish _I_ knew that as well," he admitted with a solemn shrug. "I was in the storehouse of my family's shrine when I fell through the floor. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by this strange, blue light. Then I woke up somewhere near here, and got chased by some people in weird clothes, and then that demon, and...well, I guess you saw the rest."

"Yeah, we sure did," InuYasha grumbled sourly.

"Hmm...very interesting," Myoga mused in a thoughtful manner. "And I take it you have no idea as to how you were able to defeat that ogre?"

"Not at all," Michiru admitted in a wearied manner, his fears slowly fading. For while he wasn't certain that he could trust either of these demons, they certainly weren't acting like they had ill intentions. "So...what about you? Do you have any idea how I got here? Or how I can get back home?"

"Well, I'm afraid I don't know precisely how you came to be here," Myoga admitted in a solemn manner. "But as for how you might get back to where you came from...you're from a city called Tokyo, correct?"

"Uh, yes!" Michiru quickly confirmed with a hopeful smile. "You...you know how I can get back home?"

"I believe so, yes. But first, we'll need to go to Kaede's Village," Myoga explained in a casual manner. "I suspect Kagome would be better able to explain what's going on better than we could."

"Kagome?" Michiru frowned at this unfamiliar name. "And what's...Kaede's Village?"

"Kagome is a friend of ours from Tokyo," Myoga quickly explained. "As for the village...well, it's rather small and out of the way. I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of it. But it _is_ close by. Just a few minutes' walk from here, and you'll have Master InuYasha to keep you safe along the way."

"Keep me - wait!" His eyes widening at a horrid possibility, Michiru worriedly asked, "You mean that...there are _more_ things like that...that _monster_ from before?!"

"Yeah, kid. _Plenty_ more! These woods have been _crawling_ with demons lately!" InuYasha declared with a slight nod. "They ain't nothing to worry about, though. At least, not for me." Then he narrowed his eyes at Michiru and added, "And if you could figure out how to use that weird power of yours again, they wouldn't be any trouble for you, either!"

Michiru was about to protest this, for the fact of the matter was that the notion that he had _any_ kind of special power seemed preposterous to him, even though he remembered the power that had emerged from him. The strange, red light, the way it took the form of a lion and...

 _Wait a minute...this...this has all been happening!_ Michiru thought, his eyes widening as it all began to hit him at once. _This is all_ really happening _! The monster, the fire, a guy with dog ears and an old man the size of a flea and - and all the -!_

"Hey! Were you even listening?!" InuYasha grumbled, snapping Michiru from his thoughts. His eyes wide with surprise, the Kururugi boy focused on the silver-maned demon, who was looking even grouchier than before. "I told you to get up! We need to get moving!" A beat passed before InuYasha added, "Or do you _want_ to wait around and see if any other demons show up, looking for lunch?!"

This effortlessly pierced through the hysteria that Michiru had been building up to. He had been dangerously close to falling apart from the sheer amount of insane that he had been through that day. Truth was, he had already fallen apart, and his screaming and bawling was very likely what had drawn the ogre he had killed to him in the first place.

 _I'll have time to fall apart later!_ Michiru thought to himself, struggling to rein in the fear and confusion and much, much worse and try and stay focused on the situation at hand. _I might not like horror movies, but...I've seen what happens whenever someone completely loses it!_

Taking a moment to envision the various gruesome fates of those in horror movies who had failed to keep it together and thus wound up killed off by the killer in residence of a horror movie, Michiru heaved a deep breath before pushing it all off to the side as best as he could. Pausing to take another deep breath, the Kururugi boy then nervously pushed himself up onto his feet even as Myoga bounded off of him. "Uh...okay," he shakily nodded, focusing on InuYasha. "So...Kaede's Village, then?"

"Exactly," agreed Myoga. "Also, Master InuYasha?" When the silver-maned demon glanced towards the tiny flea, he went on to say, "Remember that this boy's power has not yet been awakened. And with the number of demons out there, you'll have to be careful."

"Yeah, I figured _that_ out, and -!" InuYasha started to say, only to scowl. "Wait a minute, what do you mean, _I'll_ have to be careful?! Where are _you_ going?!"

"Me? Why, I'm going on ahead to let Kagome know about Michiru and everything else," Myoga declared even as he leaped out of sight. "Now be careful!"

"Wait, Myoga!" InuYasha snarled, but it was already too late. The tiny flea had completely disappeared from sight, leaving the dog-eared boy to growl in frustration. "Dammit, there he goes! Just like always! The coward!"

Unsure of what else he could say, Michiru gave a hapless shrug before saying, "I...guess it's not easy to be brave when you're...that tiny." When InuYasha replied by giving the boy a grumpy glare, he swallowed nervously before asking, "So, uh...what should I do? Besides...follow you to this village?"

"Just stay close and keep your eyes open!" InuYasha gruffly instructed him. "Even as pathetic as the demons around here are, you _don't_ want to give them an opening! Got that?!"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I understand," Michiru shakily nodded.

His expression making it clear that he wasn't convinced about that, InuYasha gave a mild snort before starting forward. Leaving the Kururugi boy to give a weary sigh before moving to follow.

 _What have I gotten myself into...?_ Michiru wondered as he followed the demon down the path that was liable to be filled with deadly threats at every step of the way.

* * *

 _What the hell have I gotten myself into?!_ InuYasha snarled inwardly as he marched down the most direct path to Kaede's Village. All the while keeping his every sense keened to detect even the slightest trace of a potential attacker, as well as monitoring the footsteps, position, and jitteriness of the modern boy that he had been luckless enough to be forced to have to deal with that day. _This is even worse than dealing with_ Kagome _when she first started coming here!_

Growling deep in his throat, InuYasha found himself thinking about how utterly hopeless and pathetic Kagome had been when she had first come and shortly after she had freed him from Kikyo's arrow. Her ability to purposefully release spiritual power had been next to nonexistent, with her powers manifesting only by instinct or when needed, and her archery skills had been nothing short of an abysmal joke. And for a long time she had been completely dependent upon InuYasha and his powers as a half-demon in order to keep the many foes they had faced at bay.

Fortunately, Kagome had developed her abilities over time. And while she still lacked the skills and abilities of Kikyo, she could at least hold her own for the most part against the average demons, and could even pose a legitimate threat against higher level foes such as Naraku and his incarnations. And so it had gotten to the point where InuYasha had all but forgotten what a complete load she had started out as.

 _And here we are, with that same kind of a mess all over again!_ InuYasha bitterly thought as he glanced back at Michiru, who was glancing this way or that every time he heard the slightest of noises. _This kid clearly_ _has_ some _kind of power, but thanks to the fact that he lives in Kagome's crazy world, not only does he have no idea how to use it, but he has no fighting instinct, no training,_ nothing _that would keep him alive here except for me!_

Groaning somewhat, reminding himself that Kagome's world was a much less violent and dangerous world, InuYasha still couldn't help but think that the people there would certainly benefit from at least basic lessons in how to defend themselves. _The sooner I get this kid to the Bone-Eater's Well and back where he belongs, the better!_ the half-demon scowled disgustedly. _Honestly, things are bad enough without us having to hold the hand of a complete novice while we're dealing with -!_

The wind suddenly shifted, carrying with it some new scents to InuYasha's nose. And as he processed what his nose was telling him, the half-demon growled in his throat and ground to a halt. "Huh?" Michiru frowned as he stopped as well. "What is it?"

"The smell of demons...!" InuYasha growled dangerously even as he tensed himself for battle, taking hold of the hilt of his sword. "They're close!"

"What?!" Michiru jumped back in clear alarm. "Well...what should we do?!"

 _"You_ stand there and try not to get in my way," InuYasha tersely instructed. "And me? _I'll_ be going after them!"

The way Michiru's mouth popped open made it clear that he was not the slightest bit happy about this, but InuYasha really didn't care. It was better to clear out this sort of demon fast, rather than let them build their numbers and come at you in a larger force. And while there was a tiny risk in any fight, the half-demon had been battling against miserable scraps of demons such as these ever since he had found himself on his own and forced to fend for himself to survive. "Look, if they don't come after us, then trust me, they'll be after the next villager who passes by," InuYasha forcefully declared even as he scowled at the modern nuisance. "And I doubt that the next guy to come along this way will be able to handle them as well as I could."

"I...oh," Michiru frowned, pausing to consider this for a moment. "Well...okay. I guess you better take care of them, then." Giving a hapless shrug, he took a step back before adding, "I'll...just stay out of your way..."

InuYasha raised an eyebrow as he considered this. He really hadn't been expecting the boy to cave in so easily; most humans he knew would declare that his or her life took priority and that they should leave whatever luckless traveler that followed in their footsteps to their fate as a demon's snack. Which meant that this boy was either more sensible than InuYasha would have expected...or just a doormat who did whatever someone told him to do.

 _Well, whichever it is, it sure makes things easier for me,_ InuYasha finally decided. _At least I don't have to put up with him whining..._

Shuddering as he thought about the numerous situations in which he had had to deal with such whining in the past, InuYasha nodded. "Alright. Just be sure to keep your eyes open," he instructed the boy. "There're more than one of these things, got that?"

"Uh, sure. Okay," Michiru nodded warily even as he glanced about. Already on the alert for any attackers.

No protests, no urging to hurry and finish this quickly. Definitely either a very nice guy or a doormat. Privately leaning towards doormat at the moment, InuYasha then turned about and focused on the scent of demons. Keening his ears and narrowing his eyes, he then drew the Tetsusaiga from its sheath. As it emerged from the artifact that contained it's power, the sword that normally looked like little more than a rusted old stick transformed into an immense fang of demonic metal.

 _"Whoa!"_ Michiru started, jumping back a step in surprise. "That's...wow!"

"Heh! You ain't seen nothing yet, kid!" InuYasha grinned deviously...just before he leaped up into the air. Shooting up high above the boy's head, the half-demon listened as he issued another gasp of surprise. _"Wind Scar!"_

Slashing with his sword, the half-demon unleashed a golden band of destruction that lanced down to the ground below. Causing a massive blast of dirt and debris that sent the demons that had been lying in wait there out in the open. Demons that snarled in hate before foolishly launching themselves at InuYasha.

 _Hmph! Morons!_ InuYasha thought as he let loose a formidable battle cry as he fell down upon the demons with the Tetsusaiga at the ready. _Shoulda took off when you had the chance!_

* * *

 _I don't believe this...!_ Michiru gaped in consummate astonishment even as he stood by and watched as InuYasha fell upon the mass of demons he had flushed out into the open with his tremendous sword.

The demons resembled ordinary animals, but were twisted in some way or another from what Michiru recognized. Crows that were larger than normal and had three eyes, some kind of cloaked ghoul whose skeletal arms reached out from the darkness, twisted and feral wolves, and hideous bats with huge, gaping fangs. All of which reacted to InuYasha's attack with pure, instinctual fury, and leapt up at him with fangs bared and claws at the ready. All of them eager to kill, to repay him for attacking them.

And each and every last one of them died within the span of a few seconds.

As Michiru stood by, an incredulous witness, InuYasha snarled and repeatedly slashed at the attacking demons without his monstrously huge blade. The massive sword cut through the demons without any resistance, causing blood to explode from their severed bodies even as they fell to the earth, staring the soil a rusty red and filling the air with the stench of death.

Wincing in horror at the stench, Michiru couldn't help but stare in horrified amazement as InuYasha continued to slice apart the demons. He had seen his fair share of outrageous anime featuring tough guy swordsman with long, spiky hair, and they had had their share of violence. Some of them too violent for his tastes; Michiru had never been able to understand how anybody could enjoy the sight of gallons of blood being spilled all over the place and body parts being sent flying everywhere as people and animals were killed in as graphic a manner as possible.

What he was watching right now made all of that look like nothing. Even as Michiru looked on, InuYasha effortlessly leapt into a nearby tree, rebounded off of it, and shot towards another demon and cleaved it in two. Without losing any motion, he turned his attention to another demon, his movements making it clear that he had done this sort of thing many, _many_ times. But unlike the anime Michiru had seen, this was all real. The screaming, the roars, the savagery, and the blood.

There was just so much blood. Blood that rained down upon the ground, blood that filled the air with its stench.

 _Oh, no...!_ Michiru thought with fearful dismay as the demons fell to the ground in pieces. His eyes widening in horror at the gore, the head and limbs of one luckless demon came crashing down to the ground only a couple feet away from him. A strangled cry sounding in his throat, the Kururugi boy backed away from the tattered remains, the beating of his heart the loudest thing in the entire world. And then...

"Wha- _kid, behind you!"_ InuYasha suddenly shouted, his words snapping Michiru from his horror. In an instant, he was again focusing on the moment and saw that the demon was the midst of attacking another demon as he hung in the air while in mid-leap. But at that moment, InuYasha was looking past him, his features twisted in surprised dismay.

Realizing what this meant, Michiru immediately whirled about, only to very nearly faint at the sight of a massive, bat-like demon flapping its wings as it shot towards him. Its eyes narrowed with bloodlust and it's fanged bared as it screeched in hunger.

 _"Gyaaaahhh!"_ Michiru cried out as the bat-demon closed the gap between them. His mind overwhelmed with fear and without any idea as to what he should do, the Kururugi boy acted on pure instinct. Without any chance of dodging the attack, he balled up one of his fists and shot towards his attacker.

The bat-demon, not expecting this turnaround, hesitated just long enough for Michiru to drive his fist right into its belly. The creature screeched in surprise as it was knocked back a few feet, and was immediately forced to flap its wings hard in order to recover. And when it did, it fixed it's baleful red eyes at the Michiru, and whatever mad courage had driven him to attack the creature promptly dried up.

Screeching its fury, the bat-demon flapped its wings and again shot towards Michiru...and then there was a flashing glint of polished metal. An instant later, the bat-demon fell apart, having been cleaved in two from the space between its eyes to right down to the end of its tail.

A dying screech sounded as both halves of the bat split, with both halves passing around Michiru to go crashing to the ground. Leaving the panicked teen to look over his shoulder at the downed demon, a petrified groan sounding in his throat even as InuYasha grumbled, "Damn, that was close!" Drawn by the sound of his voice, Michiru slowly looked towards the silver-maned demon, who was scowling in disgust. "The damned thing must've slipped downwind of me!" Growling deeply in his throat, InuYasha then gave Michiru a look. "You okay?"

Michiru could still feel his heart pounding in his chest, the nearness of his escape hitting him like a ton of bricks, he swallowed loudly before nodding once. "I...yeah," he finally managed to say. "I...didn't see it coming, I..."

"Which is _why_ you have to keep your eyes open!" InuYasha declared in a voice rife with annoyance. Then he heaved a deep sigh and grumbled, "Well...at least you're okay. So let's hurry up and get out of here." Pausing to glare at the path ahead and the dead demons that were even now dissolving into nothingness, the silver-maned warrior went on to declare, "Even with as pathetic as these demons are, no use sticking around for more of them to show up."

 _Wha-_ these _are pathetic?!_ Michiru demanded inwardly. _If things like these are pathetic, I_ really _don't want to see anything InuYasha would consider a challenge!_

His imagination promptly conjuring up some many-headed horror with glowing red eyes and big claws and lots of teeth, Michiru gulped queasily before managing a brief nod. "Okay."

Without another word, InuYasha started past Michiru, already visibly scanning their surroundings for more demons. With the Kururugi boy quick to follow, making certain to keep on the alert as well. While the while wincing at the lingering stench of blood and the bones of the newly dead demons that now littered the path.

* * *

 _Dammit, I can't believe that stupid bat managed to slip past me!_ InuYasha spat inwardly, utterly disgusted by his failure to deal with those demons before they were able to get close to the human that was now completely dependent upon him. _How could I let something like that happen?!_

On one level, InuYasha knew that there was really no point in blaming himself for what had happened. Things went wrong in a fight. He had lived enough and seen more than enough conflict over the course of his life to know that things could and would go wrong in a fight very easily. It was next to impossible to keep track of every single foe in a melee situation, and such a situation demanded that everyone involved remain alert and at the ready at all times. And by working together, everyone was able to keep each other safe in a fight.

 _But it's just me right now! Me and a kid who's clearly never fought a day in his life!_ InuYasha fumed, kicking himself mentally for not doing his job better. _Well...maybe he's fought at least_ once, _but he's clearly not used to it!_

As he thought this, however, InuYasha had to admit that he was mildly impressed by the way that Michiru had instinctively counterattacked that attacking bat-demon. True, he could tell that had been motivated as much by fear as anything else, but even so, that was much better than just standing around or trying to run or freezing up or any of the dozen or so stupid things he had seen people do in the same situation.

 _Even so, the sooner we get him back where he belongs, the better!_ InuYasha declared inwardly even as he and Michiru exited the forest and Kaede's Village came into view. _I just hope nothing else happens, and..._

"What the...?!" Michiru spoke up, his voice rife with surprise.

Frowning at the sound of his voice, InuYasha glanced back over his shoulder at the boy, taking note of the look of confusion he now wore. _Oh, wait. Don't tell me, let me guess,_ the half-demon thought with a roll of his eyes. _You're only just now starting to figure out that you're not in the same world you were in before, aren't you?_

On one level, InuYasha supposed he really couldn't blame the kid for not having made the connection just yet. He certainly would never have been able to accept the notion of time travel and more before he had met Kagome. But at the same time, he would have expected the kid to have been able to put it all together by now, at least enough to realize that him getting home wouldn't be as simple as traipsing down a path or going to a different part of the country or something on that order.

 _Eh, whatever. I'll let Kagome explain it all to him,_ InuYasha finally decided in a dismissive manner, wanting little more than to get this kid home before anything else happened that might wind up with him or anyone else hurt or worse. _Besides, we've got plenty of other problems on our hands..._

But as clumsy as he was in dealing with people, the half-demon still knew better than to say all of this. What he actually did was wonder, "Something wrong?"

"Huh? Uh, no. I, ummm..." Michiru hesitantly replied with a nervous frown. "Is _that..._ Kaede's Village?"

"Yeah, that's it," InuYasha confirmed, wondering just how much longer it would take the kid to make the connection. "Why? Don't like the view?"

"Uh, no! No! Of course not!" Michiru hurriedly assured the half-demon. "I mean...Myoga, he... _did_ say that it was small and out of the way, so..." Frowning somewhat, he then gave a helpless shrug before adding, "It...looks nice. Very...quaint and rustic..."

Narrowing his eyes at this pathetic evasion, InuYasha shook his head in annoyance. _Yup;_ definitely _a doormat..._ he thought. What he actually said was, "C'mon, it won't be long now before we can get you back where you belong."

* * *

 _I guess InuYasha must be mad at me or something..._ Michiru thought with a measure of depression.

In truth, Michiru would not have blamed InuYasha is he was mad or just didn't like the Kururugi boy or anything of that nature. For the fact of the matter was that he knew that, despite the fact that he was a demon, he had already gone out of his way to keep Michiru safe since finding him alone. All the while Michiru had been nothing but a complete burden for him, despite the fact that he could conceivably do more to protect himself. The fact that he had somehow been able to incinerate that hideous ogre was proof of that.

 _But I don't know_ how _I did that! How that power got inside of me!_ Michiru declared even as he followed InuYasha towards the village. _I don't know how I got here, or where here is, or those monsters, or -!_

Shuddering as each bit of insanity he had dealt with that day mounded up on top of each other, Michiru then gave a shake of his head as he once again forced it all away. _I can't...I can't let myself fall apart again! Even with this InuYasha around...I've already gotten in enough trouble as it is!_ he forcefully reminded himself, clenching his hands into fists. Feeling his nails digging into the palms of his hands, the Kururugi boy took several deep breaths as he tried to cleanse his thoughts. _InuYasha and Myoga...they know about Tokyo and how to get me back home! I can fall apart_ after _I get back!_

Not even wanting to think how in blazes he would explain where he had been to his family, Michiru then glanced up at the sky. _It's daytime. It was late afternoon when I got back home,_ he noted with some dismay. _I wonder if I was knocked out the whole night and if this is the next day?_ Frowning at this all too likely possibility, the teenage boy then heaved a deep sigh. _Oh, boy...Dad'll probably rip my head off for -_

"Hey, watch out!" came a voice from somewhere nearby. Jumping back in surprise as he was startled back to the moment, Michiru hurriedly looked about just in time to hear an animal cry of dismay, followed by the human voice declaring, "You almost walked right into us!"

"Huh?!" Michiru started as he took in what was happening. While he had been distracted by his thoughts, he and InuYasha had arrived in the antiquated village that was like something from one of the old historical towns he had seen, only more ramshackle and devoid of even the tiniest signs of modern influence. And at the moment, an old man with graying hair who was garbed in olden times clothing was standing before him, staring at the Kururugi boy with a look of anger as he led along...

"Wattan already does enough work without having some idiot youth with his head in the clouds walking into her!" the villager declared with a look of supreme annoyance even as he carefully stroked the back of the horse he had been leading along. The horse, who was loaded with satchels filled with vegetables, snorting mildly even as the old man continued forward. Leaving Michiru to stare after them in stupefied shock.

"Wait, what the...a _horse?!"_ Michiru finally got out as the man led the horse in question away.

"Don't tell me that you're scared of a _horse!"_ InuYasha groused disbelievingly.

Turning towards the demon, who was scowling his annoyance, Michiru shook his head in dismay. This latest incident landing another blow on what control he had over his emotions. "But - demons, people in kimonos with weird hair and horses - is this _really_ Japan?!"

"Yeah, it is!" InuYasha decreed with increased impatience. "Now, c'mon! If you don't hurry up, I'll leave you behind!"

Wincing at the thought of being alone for any length in...wherever it was that he ended up...Michiru was quick to follow as the demonic warrior started down the left fork of the path they were on. Only to be brought up short when InuYasha stopped in mid-step as a female voice was heard.

"InuYasha!" someone called out from somewhere behind them. As both the demon and Michiru turned about to face the voice's owner who was even now rushing towards them, the Kururugi boy felt his eyes bulge and his jaw drop to the ground.

It was a girl, that much had been clear from her voice. A girl with shoulder-length hair that was black as night who looked to be about Michiru's age. She was scowling heavily, and as she came to stand before them, she folded her arms before her chest and glared irately at the demon. "Where have you been, InuYasha?! There were some demons right outside the village, and we really could have used your help!" Pausing to lower her eyes in disdain, the girl went on to add, "Honestly, you're never there when we need you!"

Snorting his annoyance, InuYasha retorted, "I was taking care of some _other_ demons! In case you haven't noticed, there's been a _bunch_ of them around lately!" He gave another snort before adding, "And then I had to keep an eye on this kid here! He was almost _eaten_ by one of them!"

"Oh, really?" the girl started, seeming to notice Michiru for the very first time. " I'm sorry, I - hey, what in the -?!"

At that moment, the girl seemed to look over Michiru, her eyes rounding with surprised confusion. As for the Kururugi boy, as he studied the girl, he felt his heart skipping a beat. But not because the girl was attractive; it was her clothes that got his attention.

 _A sailor outfit...a school uniform, like mine!_ Michiru realized as he looked over her garbs over and over again. _Then - a real person! A real,_ normal _person!_

The relief he felt so palpable that it hit him like a sledgehammer, Michiru quickly leaned closer to the girl and smiled deliriously. "Oh, great! Finally, I thought I was going out of my mind!" he declared even as the girl looked at him. "Listen, do you know how to get back to Tokyo?! Are we even in Japan?! I've been chased by crazy people, and demons and my cell phone doesn't work! There's no cars or police station, or - or _anything!"_

The girl blinked a few times in surprise at the sudden deluge that came out of Michiru's mouth. "Um, excuse me, but, I...who are you, and how...?"

"Oh, right, right!" Michiru started, smacking himself in the forehead at his oversight. "My name's Michiru Kururugi. I was in the storehouse of my family's shrine when I fell through the floor and wound up here! Wherever _here_ is!"

Blinking a few more times at this, the girl heaved a sigh before replying. "Okay, um...I'm Kagome Higurashi. I'm in 9th Grade, and...well, you've already met InuYasha..."

"So _you're_ Kagome!" Michiru cried out in additional relief. "InuYasha and Myoga said that you might be able to explain things to me, so -!"

"Hey, wait a second! Where _is_ Myoga, anyway?!" InuYasha demanded with fresh annoyance. "He said he'd go on ahead to let you know about this kid and the rest of it!"

"I haven't seen him all day," Kagome reported with a knowing sigh. "With all the demons around, he might have to detour...or he just ran off like always." Then he focused on the Kururugi boy. "Anyway...Michiru, was it?"

"That's right," Michiru promptly nodded.

"You said something about your storehouse, and that you fell through the floor?" Kagome frowned perplexedly.

Nodding again, Michiru went on to explain, "That's right. The floor just gave out under me, then I was surrounded by this blue light. And when I came to, I was out in the woods somewhere." A beat passed before he asked, "Listen, I...do you know where I am?! Is this _really_ Japan?!"

"Yes, this _is_ Japan, but...look, I need you to listen to me very carefully," Kagome began, shifting about on her feet uneasily. "You see...we _are_ in Japan, but...well, this isn't the Japan you know."

"Not the Japan I know?" Michiru frowned, unable to make sense of this. "Then...where am I?"

"That light you saw? I'm afraid that you didn't just fall through the floor; you fell back in _time,"_ Kagome went on to explain. "You see...this is Warring States Japan. We're in the Feudal Era."

The instant these words were said, Michiru felt like a bomb had gone off in his head, emptying his mind utterly. And leaving in its wake utter chaos. "I - what - _the Feudal Era?!"_ he cried out in shock. "You mean - as in Nobunaga Oda and when guns first came to Japan and all the rest of it?!"

"Believe me, I know how hard it must be to believe," Kagome stated in a firm, yet sympathetic manner. "But it's all true."

"But...it _can't_ be...!" Michiru breathed even as his mind started putting the pieces together, and began making sense of the insanity of this day. The old-time clothing and village, the complete lack of all modern conveniences and his cell phone not working, and all the rest of it.

"I couldn't believe at first, either," Kagome admit with a slight frown.

"But - the _Feudal Era?!_ I've only read about it in school!" Michiru went on despite everything. "This is insane!"

"Yeah. I know how that feels," Kagome admitted with a low sigh.

"And - there are demons running around and everything?!" Michiru went on. "I almost got _eaten_ by one!"

Wincing sympathetically, Kagome murmured, "You weren't hurt, were you?"

Again flashing back to when the power of fire had emerged from him, to the screams of the demon that were among the last things he had experienced before passing out, Michiru shuddered. He was already having a hard enough time dealing with the notion of him being in another time, centuries removed from his home. So he simply replied, "I...no. InuYasha, he...he's been looking after me, so..."

As Michiru trailed off, Kagome nodded and smiled. "This village is safe. Why don't you relax for a bit?" she suggested. "When you're ready, we can get to work on getting you back home."

Reassured by both Kagome's kind words and the presence of someone from his own world, a strong indicator that it was indeed possible for him to get back to where he belonged, Michiru nodded. "Thank you, both of you," he said, glancing between the girl and InuYasha. "I really am glad for...well, everything."

As Kagome smiled and nodded, InuYasha scowled. "I don't get it," the demon grumbled. "Just a minute ago, you were bawling away like a little kid, and now you've gone all sweet on us."

"Don't be so rude," Kagome promptly countered, still managing a sweet tone as she looked at Michiru. "You'd be bawling, too, if you had gone through all of that."

Snorting to this, InuYasha replied, "Feh! Reminds me of someone else I know that cries all the time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome wondered, sounding genuinely perplexed. "You're the one that's always mad."

"Me? Always mad?" InuYasha wondered in annoyance. "Yeah, right!"

"See, you're getting mad right now!" Kagome shot back in a more irritated fashion. "Honestly, you are so short-tempered."

"You're the one that's so touchy!" InuYasha countered. "You're always getting upset about _something!"_

Michiru just couldn't believe it. InuYasha and Kagome were as different as night and day and were about as out-of-place as one could get, and yet here they were, bickering like an old married couple. "Wow," he muttered, unable to believe what he was seeing. "You two really get along, huh?"

"What?!" Kagome squeaked out in clear surprise.

"Hey, what are you trying to say?!" InuYasha countered, equally surprised. "Who does he think he is?"

"Oh, stop it already," Kagome grumbled, sounding worn out.

"Don't be shy," Michiru said with a faint smile. This was all just so ridiculous, he found himself tempted to laugh in spite of everything.

"Never mind," InuYasha grumbled sourly. "Let's just get this kid to the Well already!"

"Huh?" Michiru frowned perplexedly. "Well? Why would we want to go to a well?"

"Don't you _want_ to get back home?" InuYasha wondered with a raised eyebrow.

As Michiru frowned his confusion, Kagome shook her head. "Here, I better explain," she began with a gentle smile. "On the other side of the village, in a section of the woods nearby, there's a well called the Bone-Eater's Well."

"Bone-Eater's Well?" Michiru repeated with a grimace. "I don't like the sound of that."

"I understand. But the well...you see, it's magic," Kagome promptly explained, shrugging as if she was aware of how that likely sounded. "My home was built right next to it, and in our time, it's housed in our family's shrine. And it's by going through the Well that I can go back and forth between here and home."

As these words sounded, Michiru's confusion dissipated before a wave of renewed hope. "So...you mean...?"

"You should be able to go back to our time if you pass through there," Kagome confirmed. "Of course, even once you get to my place, we'll still have to arrange for you to get back home, but...that shouldn't be too hard."

"Oh, wow! Thank you!" Michiru joyfully cried out, almost melting into a puddle of gratitude. "Please, take me to this Well! The sooner I get back, the better!"

"Okay," Kagome nodded with a smile. "It's outside of the village, but it shouldn't be a problem. Demons don't like hanging around the Bone-Eater's Well."

"Yeah, but still, let's be on guard," InuYasha grumbled even as he started forward in what Michiru guessed to be the direction of the Bone-Eater's Well. "With all the demons we've had to deal with lately, no sense in doing something stupid."

"Yeah. I agree," Michiru nodded, his focus now on the prospect of a quick trip home.

* * *

 _I really hope the Well works for him,_ Kagome thought even as the unlikely trio made their way through Kaede's Village, wishing that she was as confident that Michiru could return home as easily as she had implied. _But...most people can't use it; right now, the only people it'll work for are me, and InuYasha!_ But even as the modern girl thought this, she studied the boy before her and managed a fresh smile. _Then again, if he could come back in time, then there shouldn't be any reason why he can't go back as well. And there's definitely no harm in trying. So..._

"Hello, Kagome!" came a warm voice from off to the side. Stirred from her thoughts, the modern miko looked about to see one of the villagers standing on one of the many fields for cultivating produce maintained by the village. "Have any luck, finding some new seeds and fertilizer for me?"

"Oh, Namboku!" Kagome started, feeling a bit sheepish as she paused to study the field guard. "No, sorry. Things have been...well, pretty hectic with all the demons that have been showing up lately."

Giving a slight sigh of disappointment, Namboku nodded. "Well, okay. Just do me a favor and keep an eye for them," he urged her. "Some of the crops we've gotten from them...well, they've certainly been interesting!"

"I know," Kagome nodded in a good-natured manner. "I promise, we'll keep our eyes open."

As Namboku nodded in response, Michiru frowned in confusion even as the trio continued on their way. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, Namboku?" Kagome replied. "It's like this. Those fields he guards? There's an old legend about it that says that if you use the right combination of seeds and fertilizer, a 'mysterious crop' will grow."

"Mysterious crop?" Michiru blankly repeated.

"Some of the things that grow there come out pretty weird," InuYasha elaborated in his typically rude and blunt manner. "One time, we got a bunch of what Kagome called magnet fruit. Miroku found it and gave some of the fruit to Kagome and Sango, and they wound up stuck to him for _hours!"_

 _"Stuck_ to him?! Like they were magnetized?" Michiru blankly replied, his expression making it clear that his suspension of disbelief had taken a hit. But even as Kagome nodded in confirmation, the Kururugi boy frowned and asked, "Wait...who are Miroku and Sango?"

"They're friends of ours, but they're away from the village right now," Kagome quickly explained. "Perhaps some other time, you can come back here and meet them."

A beat passed as Michiru managed a slight smile. "Sure. I think that'd be nice," he finally replied. "But...still, _magnet_ fruit?"

"Not _all_ of the crops we've grown on the fields came out like that," Kagome hurriedly assured him. "I remember one time one of the village girls grew an entire field of rainbow-colored flowers! They were so beautiful..."

Smiling fondly at this memory of a quieter, simpler moment, when she and Sango and Shippo and Kirara had been able to relax and even frolic among the flowers, Kagome sighed as InuYasha led the way past the outmost perimeter of Kaede's Village as they made their way towards the Bone-Eater's Well.

Fortunately, the trek from Kaede's Village to the woods where her home would be built in the centuries to come was peaceful and free from attack by demons. As the three of them made their way under the boughs of the trees, the sun making its way past the various branches, Kagome decided to fill the silence. "Hard to believe from just looking at this place that this is where my house will be someday," she noted as they continued forward. "Over there is where my house is, and that's where the stairs that lead up to it are." As she pointed at these locations of things that were yet to come, she then pointed at a particular tree near their destination. "And over there is the sacred tree of our family shrine."

"Sacred tree, huh?" Michiru wondered even as they approached the tree in question. Frowning as he studied he, he then noted, "You know...this section of the bark...it looks thinner...smoother. Almost like...something was cut off of it or something..."

A loud snort filled the air at this, not that Kagome could blame InuYasha for not wanting to speak about what had been removed from that tree. About how he had been bound to it for fifty years. "And over there is the Well," the ill-tempered half-demon continued as he gestured towards it. "So, you ready to get back to where you belong?"

As Michiru turned towards the Well, he frowned slightly. "Wow...that sure looks old..."

"Yeah. It's been here for a very long time. Nobody knows when it was built or who built it," Kagome admitted as she studied the Well that bridged the ages.

"And they used to toss dead demons into it," InuYasha chimed in.

Wincing as Michiru looked at the half-demon in clear surprise, Kagome admonished him with, "Hey, don't say _that!_ You're going to scare him!"

"Whatever," InuYasha replied with a raised eyebrow and a tone of voice that made it clear that he didn't see what the problem was. "The demons were all dead, anyway. It's not like they could actually do anything."

"You know what I mean, InuYasha! Honestly, you're so insensitive!" Kagome scolded him before turning towards the unlikely arrival to this world. "Uh, sorry about that, Michiru."

To his credit, Michiru just smiled wanly. "That's okay. I know he didn't mean anything by it." Then he turned towards the Well and frowned. "So...do I...just jump in?"

"That's right. If you do that, the Well should take you right back to the present." But even as she said these words, Kagome frowned somewhat and mentally added, _At least...I_ hope _it does..._

As Michiru made a face at this, InuYasha grumbled, "Don't tell me you scared! It's just a Well! It won't hurt you!"

"Besides, the magic of the Well will slow your fall," Kagome explained, once again reminding herself that this would only happen if the Well actually worked for Michiru. "I go down it all the time, and I've never hurt myself."

Still clearly unhappy about this, Michiru heaved a deep sigh before making his way towards the Well. "Okay...I guess," he finally muttered. Lifting one leg over the side, and then the other, he was soon sitting on the edge of the Bone-Eater's Well and gazing down into the darkness. "Well...here I go..." he said with all of the enthusiasm of someone about to have surgery. "One...two…th-th…"

Rolling his eyes as Michiru hesitated, InuYasha proceeded to march up behind him. "Three, right?"

Michiru looked back over his shoulder at the half-demon...just in time for InuYasha to shove him in the back and send him careening into the Well. _"Gyaaaaahhh!"_ the Kururugi boy cried out, the sound of his voice echoing up the Well...and was promptly followed by a loud clattering noise that hurt Kagome just to listen to it. "Owwww..."

 _Uh-oh...!_ Kagome thought at this, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her head.

* * *

 _Ohhhh..._ Michiru groaned inwardly as he lay at the bottom of the dark, creepy, spooky Well that he had been stupid enough to try and jump into. _So much for magic wells..._

"What did you do _that_ for, InuYasha?!" Kagome cried out from somewhere above. "Michiru, are you alright?!"

"Owwww..." Michiru groaned once more even as he looked up towards the opening of the Well, where InuYasha and Kagome were looking down at him in dismayed surprise. "Well...I don't think anything's broken...but I don't feel alright..."

"Well, at least you're in one piece!" Kagome called down to him. "No thanks to you, InuYasha! What did you do _that_ for?!"

"I couldn't help it!" InuYasha replied with a sheepish look on his face. "All that hemming and hawing was driving me crazy!"

"What if he had gotten hurt?!" Kagome demanded.

"Aw, shut up!" InuYasha shot in annoyance. "He was gonna jump in, anyway! I was just helpin' out!"

"Helping out?!" Kagome repeated in patent disbelief. "How is that?!"

 _Are they_ always _like this?_ Michiru wondered grumpily. He had already had his hope of returning to his home dashed in a painful manner, and having to listen to Kagome and InuYasha argue like this was not doing his mood any favors. Heaving a pained sigh, he then called out, "Um, excuse me?"

"Huh?" Kagome started as she and InuYasha returned their attention to Michiru.

"Could you please stop fighting and help me?" Michiru wondered somewhat testily even as he struggled to get back to his feet.

"Uh..." InuYasha started, only to shrug helplessly. "Oh, alright. I'll be down in a second!" And without another word, the demon effortlessly leaped into the Well.

But even as InuYasha fell towards Michiru, something astonishing happened. The walls of the Bone-Eater's Well lit up, and once again, he found himself in the waves of blue light that had surrounded him as he had fallen through the storehouse floor. But even as he wondered what was happening, the Kururugi boy watched as InuYasha's form seemed to become hazy...right before he disappeared altogether.

"What the -?!" Michiru got out, his eyes wide with shock as he looked about the Well, searching for any sign of the demon. "Where'd - InuYasha go?!"

"He's gone to the present," Kagome explained from above. "See, that's what I _thought_ would happen to you when you jumped, and - oh, hang on! I just thought of something!" Her eyes lit up with inspiration, the raven-haired girl soon jumped into the Well, and once more it was awash with magical light. As Kagome faded away, she called out, "Be back in a second!"

"Uh, okay," Michiru replied, but Kagome had already disappeared from sight. Leaving the Kururugi boy to stand there at the bottom of the dismal Well, wondering what to do. And wondering what kind of future lay ahead of him.

 _What if...I can't be_ stuck _in this time...can I...?_ was the first thing to come to mind, a thought that chilled Michiru to the bone. _Mom and Dad and Kaname...what if I never see them again? I never...I never even had a chance to...!_

The Well lit up once more, cutting Michiru's dour thoughts off and heralding the return of both InuYasha and Kagome. "We're back," the raven-haired girl announced as they fully solidified. "Sorry to take so long."

"Oh, it wasn't long," Michiru replied in a good-natured manner, not wanting to burden them with his woes. "So, uh...you said you'd thought of something...?"

"Oh, yeah! I wanted to try something else!" Kagome explained as she made her way over to where Michiru stood. "You see, normally, I can't pass through the Well myself. At least, not without something to help me." With that, she reached about her neck and drew forth a small bottle hanging from a string. "Here!" she began, removing the stopper and drawing forth what looked like a sliver of rose quartz. "Maybe this will help!"

Frowning somewhat as Kagome offered him the sliver, Michiru accepted it and held it up to his eyes. "What is this?"

"It's a shard of the Shikon Jewel. A magical gem that was shattered some time ago," Kagome explained. "You see, I need to have one in order to use the Well myself. So I figured that if I let you borrow one, you might be able to use the Well, too."

"Yeah, but don't get any funny ideas!" InuYasha seconded, leveling a fierce scowl at Michiru. "We're just letting you _borrow_ that thing! As soon as we get you back -!"

"Don't worry, I get the idea," Michiru assured them even as he dubiously eyed the Jewel Shard. "So, uh...what do I do now? Do I have to go back up to the top, and...?"

"Don't worry. Just take my hand, and hold on tight," Kagome instructed him. Not having any better ideas, Michiru did as he was told, and accepted the raven-haired girl's hand in his own. "Ready?"

Nodding to this, Michiru just held on as the Well once again lit up with magical energy. And once again, Kagome's form seemed to fade away...until she disappeared completely. Leaving Michiru behind with the useless Shard she had lent him.

As Michiru looked at the empty air that Kagome had once occupied, and then heaved a despondent sigh before allowing his eyes to fall to the ground. "Aw, dammit," InuYasha groaned sourly. "I should've known it couldn't be that easy..."

Michiru didn't say anything to this. He just stood there, slumped over and depressed even as the Well lit up and Kagome reappeared. "Thanks, but..." he spoke, holding up the Shard she had loaned him, "you can have this back now."

"I really am sorry," Kagome replied in a genuinely sympathetic manner even as she accepted the Shard. "I honestly thought that would work." When Michiru didn't reply to this, she smiled and bent down so as to look him in the eyes. "Don't worry about it; something obviously sent you here. I'm sure there's a way to you get back home."

Not sure what that way might be, or about much of anything else at the moment, Michiru eventually sighed once more before straightening himself up. "Okay, but...what should I do next? What _can_ I do?"

"Well, we could try asking Kaede for help," Kagome suggested. "She's the wisest person in the village, and is pretty much in charge of things here."

"And...that's why the village is called 'Kaede's Village'?" Michiru hazarded.

"That's right," Kagome confirmed. "She helped me when I first arrived here. She's a priestess, and she knows a lot."

"Yeah, and she just _loves_ to nag me," InuYasha groused with his arms folded across his chest.

"That's only because you're always getting into trouble," Kagome needled him in response.

Pausing to mull things over for a moment, Michiru then shrugged. "Well...I don't really understand, but...I don't have any better ideas, so...I guess I should meet her."

"Okay, let's get back to the village, then," Kagome decided. "InuYasha, get us out of here."

Rolling his eyes at this even as Michiru wondered why Kagome made her request an order, InuYasha then replied, "Fine! Whatever!" And with that, the demon wrapped his arms about both humans before leaping up out of the Well.

 _What am I going to do if I can't get back?_ Michiru found himself thinking again as InuYasha came to land on the ground near the Well. _What will I do if...I have to live in this place for the rest of my life...with demons and all the rest of it...?_

* * *

Author's Notes: It was easy enough for Michiru to _get_ to the Feudal Era, but getting back is going to be a whole different ball game! So please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories?

Again, I expanded on some things that were delved into in the original game, such as the fact that Kagome needs at least one Jewel Shard on her person to use the Well. I hope I did a good job with Michiru's reactions to everything that's been happening, and trying to keep with everything being piled up on him in so short a time period.

And I'm sure that some people might be surprised by the way harsh manner InuYasha presently regards Michiru in, but we've seen in the past that it generally takes InuYasha a while to warm up to a person. Given the situation, I'd say it would take a while for InuYasha and Michiru to get on good terms with each other.

Also, I feel I should mention that the Legacy of the Cursed Mask series as its own page over at TV Tropes. This page covers all four of the stories I've written or am in the process of writing. And so I hope that all of you who enjoy these series will check it out and even add to it when you have the chance. So please look up "The Legacy of the Cursed Mask Series TV Tropes" online and check it all out when you can.

Frosty Wolf, well, I started this mainly because I was getting stuck a lot, what with college eating up my time like there's no tomorrow. I hate busy work in school. And yes, this is a prequel to the LOTCM series proper.

Uruz 11, Michiru's journey is certainly off to a rough start for him. And we all know that things are going to get a lot tougher before everything's said and done. Yup, I remembered Kagome going through the same sort of thing when she first arrived, so that worked.

In the game, we did get an indication that InuYasha saw at least some of what happened. He did mention seeing Michiru destroying the demon, so I thought working that into the story proper would work nicely. No, Myoga didn't see anything.

It is sad that it will be a while before we see Sango and Miroku, but I do have some special scenes in mind for the both of them before they rejoin the group proper.

Deiru Tamashi, cool, I'm glad that you're enjoying everything. I do hope that Michiru's reaction to InuYasha worked for you and everyone else.

J4RRE77, well, there are all the guardian lion statues in Japan. I thought those worked. And I didn't feel the need to add that detail in. Michiru's clothing in and of itself was enough of a giveaway in my opinion.

WOLFWATCHER12, uh, no, no I haven't. It's something to consider, though.

Fenikkusumaru, thanks, there were some plot holes to fix. I'll be taking care of them as I go along. And I will contact you when I have more than two seconds to rub together.

Greymon Leader Batx, well, I figured that it worked to handle Michiru this way. He has no training, no experience, and he's having at least ten tons of insane dumped on his head. At least Kaname in LOTCM, she had a chance to get some training in before her arrival in the Feudal Era. But yeah, at this point, Michiru being scared and everything makes total sense.

I always figured that the pentagram in the storehouse was a time-delayed trap set by Utsugi and Naraku. A snare that would trigger when the time was right. And yeah, the title of the previous chapter certainly seemed appropriate to me.


	4. The Power of the Shikigami

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Secret of the Cursed Mask: Michiru's Journey

Chapter 4: The Power of the Shikigami

As InuYasha and Kagome led Michiru back to the Feudal Era village, he was too depressed, confused, and preoccupied to really do anything save for follow along behind them.

So much had had happened and in such rapid succession. The fall through the floor of his family shrine. Being attacked humans and then demons, being saved by a demon, learning that he had been sent centuries back in the past. And just when Michiru had had hope that there was an easy way back home, that hope had been consequently crushed by his inability to travel through the Bone-Eater's Well. And now...

And...now what? If that Well didn't work for me, then...how can I get back home...? Michiru somberly thought, gazing down at his own feet as he followed his unlikely companions through the village. Doing his best not to pay any attention to the ancient, impossible village that presently surrounded him. To the glances shot his way by the occasional curious passerby. And if I can't...I never even had a chance to say goodbye to my parents or Kaname! So what will they do when they find out that - that I'm never coming back home?! That I -?!

"Michiru?" came a gentle voice, one that prompted him to look up from the dirt path he and the others had been following.

"Huh?" Michiru started as he looked up blankly at the raven-haired girl and the dog-eared demon that were his unlikely companions. A beat passed as he studied them before he felt his cheeks burn. "Oh...I'm sorry, Kagome. I just..."

As Michiru trailed off, Kagome nodded her understanding. "I understand. It's just...we're here." Then she gestured towards a nearby structure before adding, "This is Priestess Kaede's house."

As Michiru followed Kagome's gesturing hand, he could barely suppress the urge to grimace. The structure in question was what he supposed was a fairly typical Feudal residence, but it looked more like a rundown shack. There was nothing to distinguish it from the other antiquated homes that made up the village, and certainly nothing that marked it as being the home of anyone of importance,

But before Michiru could wind up putting his foot in his mouth, another girl emerged from the beaded doorway of the small home. At which point he felt his eyes bulge in surprise.

"Huh?" Kagome started as she looked towards her exact double. For that was the only way Michiru could have described the newcomer. The second girl was identical to Kagome in every possible way; the same eyes, the same facial features, the same raven-black hair. Even the garment she wore was the same as the sailor suit Kagome was garbed in.

"What?! Kagome, is that your twin?!" Michiru blurted out, forgetting everything else for the moment. "I didn't know that you were twins as well!"

"Huh?" started the girl. Who was speaking in a voice that was definitely not identical to Kagome's. "What are you talking about?"

Now even more baffled, Michiru frowned his confusion. The second girl was speaking in the voice of a small child, a far cry from the adolescent voice of Kagome. "So...wait. You're not twins?" he asked in a befuddled manner. "But...you look exactly the same! And -!"

"Looks can be deceiving, Michiru," came an elderly voice that Michiru immediately recognized as belonging to Myoga. Looking about, Michiru caught sight of the minuscule demon bouncing past Kagome's doppelganger. "Oh! There you are, Lady Kagome! I was looking for you, but...um..."

"So that's what happened!" InuYasha grumbled, rolling his eyes in clear annoyance. "Knock it off, Shippo! We don't have time for games!"

Kagome's lookalike groaned in her throat and took a nervous step away from the irate demon. Just before she exploded in a cloud of smoke.

"Gyah?! What the -?!" Michiru started, jumping back a step. But even as he was bracing himself for the worst, the smoke dissipated as instantly as it had appeared. But instead of Kagome's apparent twin, there was now what looked like a child of some sort. "Hey, what - how - huh?!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" explained the small child, a boy of some kind. Only it quickly became clear that this boy was not exactly human. His ears were pointed like those of an elf, and Michiru noticed tiny fangs in his mouth. A large, bushy tail sprouted from the base of his spine, and his legs looked like those of some form of canine. "I was just practicing my transformations!"

"Transformations?" Michiru repeated, still completely baffled.

"You see, Michiru, Shippo is a young fox-demon," Myoga sagely explained. "And as such, is capable of taking on different forms in order to deceive others."

"Oh. You mean like a kitsune fox," Michiru gathered with a nod.

"Exactly!" Kagome declared with a nod. "Say, Shippo, is Kaede in?

"Sure is! In fact, Myoga just got done telling us about what just happened!" Shippo went on to explain in a bright, cheery manner. "So, you must be Michiru, huh? The guy InuYasha found out in the forest?"

"That's right," Michiru nodded. "So, uh...Myoga told you about me? About...everything that happened?"

"You mean about how you managed to kill that demon with some weird power you don't understand yet?" Shippo gathered. "Yeah, he told us all about it! Seems pretty incredible to me!"

Wincing somewhat at this reminder of yet another mystery surrounding his arrival in this world, Michiru managed a wan smile. "Wow. You...seem to be really...taking that in stride," he managed to say. "You're pretty calm, for a kid."

"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore!" Shippo declared with a heavy scowl. "I'm a respectable adult!"

"Yeah, right. You are so a kid," InuYasha grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"What did you say, InuYasha?" Shippo promptly shot back.

"Cut it out, both of you!" Kagome ordered, sounding as if she was on her last nerve with the two demons. "And...hold on! What's this about Michiru having some kind of power?!"

"Oh, yeah. That," InuYasha grumbled sourly. "It happened when he was attacked by this weak demon out in the forest. Somehow, he was able to use this weird magic in order to burn it to a crisp."

"Only I don't know how I even did it," Michiru admitted with a note of embarrassment. "I mean...all I can remember is that monster about to eat me, and then...it's all really hazy after that. And the next thing I knew, I was waking up with InuYasha standing over me."

"Wow! So you were attacked by two big, hungry demons!" Shippo smirked even as he shot a look at InuYasha.

Growling deep in his throat, InuYasha shot back, "Watch it, Shippo!"

"Cut it out, the both of you!" Kagome told both demons. "Listen, let's just go in and see Kaede! It's not like we have all day here!"

"Um...is she really at home?" Michiru wondered as he continued to study the house in question. "I mean...if she was in, wouldn't she have...you know? Come out to see what...what's going on outside?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. This is how it usually is with her," Kagome promptly reassured Michiru. When the Kururugi boy frowned perplexedly, she smiled and went on to explain, "She usually just waits for us to come inside. Especially when...you know. This sort of thing happens."

Pausing to study the group before him, Michiru decided that he honestly couldn't blame anybody who didn't want to become involved with this manner of squabbling. For in the few seconds he had been talking to Kagome, a small argument had broken out between InuYasha and Shippo. And while Michiru had no idea what it was that had gotten the two demons so annoyed with each other, he certainly didn't miss it when the little fox bit InuYasha's hand.

"Ow!" InuYasha bellowed, glaring daggers at the little fox-demon. "That does it, Shippo!"

Without another word, InuYasha brought his free hand down upon Shippo's head. The little fox was knocked off of the dog-eared warrior's hand and was sent crashing down to the ground. And as Michiru looked on, wincing at this overly brutal form of retribution, a very large lump sprouted from the top of Shippo's head.

"Owww!" Shippo bellowed, scowling in pain as he massaged his injured cranium. "That hurt!"

"That's it!" Kagome declared, clearly fed up with everything. "InuYasha, sit!"

Michiru had precisely enough time to wonder why Kagome would make such a strange declaration before he noticed the rosary he wore flash brilliantly. But before he could even wonder why it did so, the demonic warrior was sent crashing face-first into the ground.

As InuYasha groaned and growled deep in his throat, glaring daggers at Kagome, Michiru felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his head. "Uhh..."

"Oh, sorry! Let me explain!" Kagome started, turning towards Michiru. "That was the power of Priestess Kaede. You see the Beads of Subjugation InuYasha's wearing?"

"That strange necklace?" Michiru frowned uncertainly.

"It's a rosary. Kaede placed it around InuYasha's neck to keep him under control and out of trouble," Kagome explained with a smile. A smile that promptly disappeared when she turned her attention to InuYasha. "Which he gets into a lot! So stop picking on Shippo already!"

"Yeah!" Shippo seconded, smiling smugly at the prone demon. Who growled irately in response.

"Now, c'mon," Kagome continued, waving for Michiru to follow as she entered the dilapidated hut. "Let's see Kaede."

As Kagome entered, with Shippo and Myoga following at a polite distance, Michiru frowned as he looked towards InuYasha. The dog-eared demon was presently forcing himself up to his feet, grumbling irritably beneath his breath as he did so.

"Damn it all, Kagome!" InuYasha muttered and sputtered as he rose. "Every time, you - huh?!"

"Are you alright?" Michiru asked even as he knelt down slightly and held out his hand to the flattened demon. "Here, let me help you up."

InuYasha just froze in place, looking at Michiru with an expression that was lambasted with shock. And he remained frozen for a few seconds until he looked away with a snort. "Hey, you don't have to worry about me!" the dog-demon declared as he rose up, ignoring Michiru's proffered hand. "I've taken a lot worse than that!"

A bit surprised and even a bit disheartened by the way InuYasha had brushed off his offer, Michiru looked stupidly at his own hand for a few seconds before lowering it to his side. "Well, okay," he answered in a sheepish manner. "But still -"

"Hey! Hurry up, you two!" Kagome demanded as she poked her head out of the door. "You don't want to keep Kaede waiting, do you?!"

"Hey, we're moving, already!" InuYasha shot back in a heated fashion. "Though we'd be moving a lot faster if you didn't insist on using these damned Beads all the time!"

"Well, if you weren't such a jerk all the time, I wouldn't have to!" Kagome shot back before disappearing inside once more.

InuYasha growled in his throat at this before following Kagome inside. Leaving Michiru to sigh tiredly, unable to believe what was happening...

* * *

As InuYasha and the boy he had found entered Kaede's simple abode, he couldn't help but glance back at Michiru in muted surprise.

This was far from the first time InuYasha had been sat by Kagome. It was also far from the first time it had been for a reason that had been petty or the result of him being blamed for things that the half-demon didn't see as being his fault. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew beyond any doubt that it would not be the last time he was subjected to the miserable power of the Beads of Subjugation.

However, it was definitely the first time someone had reacted to him being sat with concern.

Kagome loved having power over InuYasha, he didn't doubt that. She treated smashing him into the ground as a form of amusement, disciplining him for not behaving as she felt he ought to. Shippo enjoyed the sight of InuYasha being smashed into the ground and would even set up situations in which the half-demon would be the bad guy for 'picking on him', all for the sake of watching InuYasha being punished. Miroku and Sango...well, they didn't really react to InuYasha's suffering. They didn't appear to enjoy it, but they didn't seem overly concerned, reacting to the half-demon being smashed into the ground as business as usual and ultimately his own fault for offending Kagome in the first place.

But Michiru had been immediately concerned about the harsh treatment InuYasha had been subjected to. And had even offered to help the half-demon up to his feet, and...

Eh, whatever. He probably just thought I get hurt as easily as a human would, InuYasha finally decided, reminding himself that Michiru wasn't nearly as familiar with demons as Kagome and the others were. As soon as he figures out that I'm not as fragile as he is...

"Hello, Kagome, InuYasha. I was wondering when you would come in," Kaede said, giving the group a knowing smile. "And you...you must be Michiru. Myoga told me to expect you."

"Um...hello," Michiru hesitantly replied as he studied the aged priestess.

InuYasha couldn't help but smirk at Michiru's reaction. When he had been informed that he would be meeting a priestess, he had likely assumed that he would be meeting someone about Kagome's age, or someone who was aged enough to look wise but still possessed some of the airs of youth. However, Kaede's day of youth had faded away over the decades InuYasha had been imprisoned upon the Tree of Ages, and those decades had not been kind to her. Now she was a heavyset old lady whose features were riddled with wrinkles, and now wore an eye patch to cover up the eye she had lost as a youth.

"I'm - oh, wait. Myoga already told you my name. Right," Michiru went on, embarrassing himself in the process.

"That's quite alright. So relax and be at ease," Kaede urged the newcomer. "And why don't you tell me some more about yourself? Like how you came to be here in the first place."

Shifting about on his feet a bit, Michiru then shrugged. "Well...okay. Though I'm not sure just how much I'll be able to tell you that...Myoga couldn't already say."

Despite this, Michiru still sat down with InuYasha and the others and proceeded to repeat what he had already told the half-demon and Myoga. "And when I came to...that's when I met InuYasha and Myoga."

"Hmm, you've certainly had quite the day," Kaede mused thoughtfully. "It all sounds similar to when Kagome came."

"Yeah, it sure does," Kagome admitted with a nod. "And I'd sure like to know how you were able to kill that demon!"

"As would I," Myoga noted. "Whatever the origin of Michiru's ability, it's unlike anything I've seen before. And I find the fact that the flames took on the form of a lion to be most interesting..."

"Wait - a lion?!" Kagome blurted out, her features creased with surprise and disbelief. "But - hold on! How do you even know what a lion is or what they look like?! Lions aren't native to Japan!"

"Perhaps, Kagome, but I have seen actual lions and lion-demons while in service to Lord InuTaisho," Myoga explained. "Also, lions are considered a symbol of Buddha, which is why statues of them mark Buddhist temples."

"Anyway, we have more important things to talk about," InuYasha gruffly cut in. "Like how do we manage to get Michiru back where he belongs since the Well didn't work!"

"What?!" Myoga started even as Kaede gave them a surprised look. "You mean - you've already tried to send him through the Bone-Eater's Well...and it didn't work for him?!"

"That's right," Kagome confirmed with a somber nod. "It still works for me and InuYasha, but Michiru just fell right to the bottom!"

"Hmm...I see..." Kaede frowned, her features heavy with thought.

"Uh...do you know why I couldn't get through?" Michiru asked with a note of desperation. "Or if there's some other way I can get back to my time?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Kaede considered this matter for a few moments...right before she closed her good eye and shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't explain why the Well failed to work for you. Let alone if there exists another path by which you can return to your world."

As soon as these words were said, Michiru's eyes widened and his pupils seemed to shrink. His mouth popped open in clear dismay, and InuYasha could have sworn that he saw the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes.

"What...but - there has to be...something!" Michiru pleaded, his voice suddenly rife with fearful despair. Sounding as if all the emotional baggage that had been building up in him since his arrival was suddenly breaking free of whatever control he had over it. "I - I can't be stuck here - forever!"

"There may well be a means for you to get back to your world. Certainly, if something brought you back here, then it seems reasonable that that same force could return you to whence you came," Kaede admitted with a slight nod. "However, I fear that I have no idea what that force could be. Or where we could even begin to search for it."

Michiru just stared at the aged priestess for a time...right before he seemed to sag beneath the weight of her words. He just seemed to completely deflate in front of InuYasha, with tears of exhaustion and despair already breaking free of his eyes.

"But...Mom...Dad...Kaname..." Michiru moaned despondently. "I..."

"Look, I know what you're going through," Kagome murmured in a gentle manner even as she placed a comforting hand upon Michiru's shoulder. "I remember what it was like for me when I first came here. At first, I thought that I wouldn't ever be able to get back home, either!"

Kagome's words, despite how gentle they were, did nothing to snap Michiru from his sudden despair. Not that InuYasha was surprised; it had been clear to him that the unwilling time traveler had been mortified when he had learned that he was in the past. It had also been obvious that Michiru had pinned his hopes on the Bone-Eater's Well, and was devastated to have that potential avenue of return closed off to him.

And now...

"Gosh," Shippo went on, a frown on his tiny face. "I'm really sorry. It's too bad that the Well..."

"Yeah," Kagome nodded sympathetically as Shippo trailed off.

InuYasha didn't blame Kagome and Shippo for feeling sympathy in regards to Michiru's plight. And in truth, the half-demon himself understood what it was like to lose something precious. To lose one's home, to lose your family and be without any hope of seeing that family again.

But he also knew something else. And that something else prompted InuYasha to scowl at the boy whose eyes were already tearing.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" InuYasha demanded in a gruff manner. One that momentarily startled Michiru out of his depression and prompted everyone else to stare in disbelief at the half-demon. "What, you think that crying your eyes out is gonna do you any good?! Talk about irritating!"

Her mouth popping open in shock alongside those of the others, Kagome stared hard at the half-demon before shooting back, "InuYasha! Don't be so hard on him!"

"Yeah! What are you thinking, saying something like that?!" Shippo chimed in.

"I'm thinking that throwing this guy a pity party isn't gonna help him or anybody else!" InuYasha promptly shot back. "Besides, it's not like he's gonna die if he can't get home."

"Maybe, but you could at least try to be a bit nicer about it!" Kagome retorted with a deadly scowl.

"Oh, dear," Myoga groaned, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of his head as Kaede slowly shook her head in dismay. "This won't end well..."

"Being nice and getting all weepy isn't gonna help anybody, let alone this kid!" InuYasha declared even as he flashed back to a time many decades in the past. A time when he had spent every day sobbing miserably, bemoaning his situation of being hunted and alone by demons many times his size without anybody to turn to.

An instant later, InuYasha forced those awful memories of misery and weakness to the side and focused his gaze on Michiru. "You want to get back to your world? Fine! Then you just need to find a way to do it!"

Michiru looked blankly at InuYasha for a time, blinking his confusion, before finally speaking. "Find...a way?" he eventually asked. "But...how?"

"I don't know, but I do know that you won't get anywhere by just sitting around, feeling sorry for yourself!" InuYasha finally demanded, hoping to annoy the kid. Hoping to light a spark of fire in his belly that would help him offset his depression and get to work on something other than crying. "Besides, we already know that something must've brought you back here! So I'd say that you looking for that whatever-it-was would be a good place to start!"

"Wait. Is that what you were trying to say, InuYasha?" Kagome wondered in a notably milder tone of voice.

"Well, what else?!" InuYasha demanded even as he kept an eye on Michiru, Looking for any sign that he had managed to spur the strange boy on. Add some fire to his spirit, maybe even a little anger to see him through what lay ahead.

What he saw was Michiru scan those around him before heaving a deep sigh. "…I guess sitting around and being upset won't get me anywhere."

It was definitely not the resolute attitude that InuYasha would have liked to have seen. But after a moment, he decided that it was at least a start. "Look, you can be upset about this anytime you want," the half-demon stated, hoping to fan what meager sparks he was seeing into something more. "Just so long as you don't give up."

A beat passed before Michiru heaved a deep breath and slowly nodded. "Alright," he got out, speaking in a way that made it clear that he was trying to fan those embers of resolve into something greater as well. "I guess I'll just have to...think of something. Look for...some kind of clue..."

"Agreed. And thankfully, you won't be alone," Kaede declared, something that gave InuYasha a bad feeling. A bad feeling that was confirmed when the aged priestess went on to say, "After all, you will have InuYasha and the others to help you."

"What?!" InuYasha bellowed in response, causing the others to jump in surprise. "Now hold on, Kaede! In case you've forgotten, we've got other problems to deal with!"

"Oh, I - I couldn't accept," Michiru meekly chimed in. "Besides, I don't want to be a burden, and -"

"Both of you, wait a minute," Kaede broke in, fixing both Michiru and InuYasha with her one-eyed glare. "InuYasha, like when Kagome first arrived, Michiru's appearance in our world is no trivial matter. The strange magic that you and Myoga witnessed is proof enough of that."

"So what?!" InuYasha demanded impatiently.

"So I truly believe that it would be in everybody's best interests if you were to work together," Kaede informed in a sober manner. "Besides, you felt Kagome to be a burden when you first met her. But as she gained greater competence in using her bow and her own spiritual abilities, she became a great asset. Did she not?"

InuYasha started to protest, but he found that protest falling flat in his mouth. For the fact of the matter was that Kaede had a valid point in this. While Kagome had been a complete burden to him at first, completely hopeless in terms of power and skill, she had developed somewhat during the time she had been journeying with him and the others.

On the other hand, however, Kagome's development had been slow and haphazard, what with her not bothering to seek out training from Kaede or Miroku in mastering her powers. Even now, she tended to rely on InuYasha and the others for the big fighting more often than not.

And in addition to everything else that was going on, there was the fact that Naraku had not been seen for some time. And his recent absence and apparent inactivity were doubtlessly proof that he had something major in the works. Meaning that the last thing they needed to deal with was a complete novice who had no idea how to fight.

"Maybe, but - we still have to deal with all of these demons that have been showing up lately!" InuYasha pointed out, putting his concerns into words. "And then there's the Sacred Jewel Shards and Nar-!"

"Oh, c'mon, InuYasha!" Kagome broke in, shooting the half-demon a look of aggravation. "Look, it's not like we can really do any of that until Sango and Miroku get back! So until that happens, we can at least look around! Try and find out how Michiru got here and what's with these powers you told us about!"

"Indeed. And as for you Michiru, you are a stranger to this land. And your mannerisms and garb are foreign, and would likely have people suspicious of you and origins," Kaede went on, turning towards the newcomer. "It would be best for you if you were to stay with the others. InuYasha, Kagome, and Shippo are all very knowledgeable of this world and the potential dangers inherent to it. You will likely need their help in both unlocking the secret of this strange power you have, and finding your way back home."

"Well..." Michiru frowned uncertainly even as he glanced between Kaede and InuYasha. His eyes speaking volumes about what he was thinking.

I don't believe this! He isn't even going to try and argue for us to help him?! InuYasha thought incredulously. This is either the nicest and least selfish guy I've ever met or a complete wimp! And there is no way that anybody is that nice!

But even as this thought echoed in his mind, InuYasha sighed in defeat. For not only was it impossible for the half-demon to turn aside someone as pathetic as Michiru was coming off as, but it was clear that the others present expected him to go along with this. And if he kept trying to argue his point and wound up annoying Kagome enough to sit him again...

"Urrgh...talk about annoying...!" InuYasha growled in bad grace. "Fine, whatever!"

"There! It's all settled, then!" Kagome declared with a broad smile.

"So...I can stay here? With all of you?!" Michiru got out in surprised relief. Pausing to sigh and smile, he then looked about at all of them and added, "Thank you, all of you!"

As InuYasha growled deep in his throat, Kagome just smiled some more. "It's decided, then!" she declared with clear enthusiasm. "So while we're waiting for Miroku and Sango to get back, let's start trying to find a way to get you back home!"

"Okay." Michiru then frowned and wondered, "But...where do we even start? I don't even know how I got here in the first place!"

"Well, you said that you fell through the floor of your family's storehouse, and then you saw this blue light. That sounds sort of like what happens when InuYasha and I go through the Bone-Eater's Well," Kagome mused with a thoughtful expression. "So maybe there's something that works like the Bone-Eater's Well beneath your storehouse!"

Michiru frowned somewhat at this before giving a helpless shrug. "Maybe, but...I don't think so," he finally said. "The shrine where my family lives is old, but the storehouse? The floor might've been rotten, but I don't think it's that old. Definitely not as old as the Bone-Eater's Well. And when I came to in this world, I didn't see anything unusual." Then he made a face before adding, "Well...at least nothing that was...any weirder than what I already saw."

"Maybe there was something there, but it didn't look important," Kagome pressed on. "I didn't even think that the Bone-Eater's Well was important when I first came here, or that it could send me back home. At the very least, we should check out the area where you first arrived here. There might be a clue as to how we can get you back home."

"Aye, that seems to be a reasonable suggestion," Kaede nodded in agreement.

"Then let's just go back to the place where you first woke up," InuYasha declared, glad that they were making at least some progress.

"Well, maybe. But...I'm not sure I could even find my way back there now," Michiru admitted with a note of embarrassment.

"Huh?!" Shippo demanded. "Why not?!"

"When I first woke up, I started looking around, trying to find some sign of home. And then I ran into these villagers who freaked out and thought I was a demon!" Michiru quickly explained. "They started chasing after me, and with trying to get away from them, I...I got so turned around that...I don't think I could ever find my way back to where I first woke up."

"Wait. You said that you ran into some villagers?" Kagome started, her eyes widening somewhat with excitement.

"That's right," Michiru confirmed with a nod. "When I first ran into them, they were all desperately looking for...something. Then when they saw me, they thought I was a demon and started after me."

"Great! Then we should go and ask the villagers if they saw something!" Shippo beamed eagerly. "So, you think they were from here?"

"Not likely," InuYasha broke in, prompting the others to look his way. "When I found this kid, he was kind of far from here. And with all of the demons that have been showing up lately, I can't see anybody from here wandering that far from here."

"Nor I. And the people of this village have long since gotten used to Kagome's appearance and garments and are aware of the Bone-Eater's Well, and would likely realize that Michiru was probably a similar traveler. And even if they had thought they had seen a demon, they would have come to either myself or Kagome," Kaede noted with a slight frown. "So it doesn't seem likely that it was anyone from here."

"Still, it might be prudent to have Michiru look around the village. See if he recognizes any of the people here as the ones that chased after him," Myoga suggested. "What say you, Michiru? Do you think you would recognize the three villagers you mentioned if you saw them again?"

"Definitely," Michiru confirmed with a certain nod. "Believe me, I don't think I'll forget about those three anytime soon!"

"Then why don't you go and look around the village? See if you can find the three that chased Michiru earlier," Kaede suggested.

"Fine by me!" InuYasha declared, already rising up to his feet. "I like that idea a lot better than just sitting around, doing nothing but talk!"

* * *

"We've looked through the whole village twice now!" InuYasha grumpily declared as he surveyed the quaint Feudal settlement from a low-lying hill. "Are you sure that you don't recognize any of the people here?!"

At InuYasha's gruff demand, Kagome couldn't help but sigh. Even though they had managed to convince the half-demon to help with Michiru's predicament, she had known that his helpful mood wouldn't last long. It never did. He was just too headstrong, too temperamental, too immature for that sort of thing.

Honestly, when is he ever gonna grow up...? Kagome couldn't help but wonder as Michiru sighed wearily.

"I'm positive, InuYasha," Michiru confirmed in a wan manner. "I've seen absolutely nobody that looked like those villagers."

"InuYasha...what about Akebi Village?" Kagome wondered, hoping to defuse the situation before it escalated. "Where you found Michiru...was it close to there?"

"Hmm...not really, but...yeah. It was close enough, anyway," InuYasha replied after a few seconds of contemplation. "So...yeah. They might've been from there."

"You mean there's another village nearby? Near where you found me?" Michiru asked, his hope renewed somewhat. "Where is Akebi Village anyway? Is it far from here?"

"Well, it's not that far," Kagome started, unwilling to broach the bad news to him. "But…"

Frowning somewhat at the way Kagome trailed off, Michiru hesitated for a moment before prompting her to continue. "But…?"

"But there's all kinds of demons between here and there!" Shippo immediately announced.

Wincing at how abrupt Shippo could be, Kagome sighed and nodded. "He's right," she unhappily confirmed. "The demons in the area have been extremely active and aggressive lately. They come after you even if you're only a little ways from a village."

The face Michiru made at this made clear his displeasure at this. "Yeah. We ran into some when InuYasha was leading me back here."

"Which means that we'll all have to be careful," Kagome explained. "Especially you, since you don't know how your powers work yet."

"Hey, don't get all worked up about a few lousy demons!" InuYasha declared in his typically boastful manner. "As long as I'm around, you've got nothin' to worry about!"

"He's right!" Shippo chimed in, prompting a laugh from InuYasha. Only for that laughter to be cut off when the fox-demon added, "Yeah, InuYasha's got not brains, but plenty of brawn!"

Immediately angered, InuYasha lashed out at the little fox, bashing him over the head. "Shut it, Shippo!"

"Owww!" Shippo bellowed as a fresh lump rose up from his cranium. "What'd you do that for?!"

"I told you to knock it off!" Kagome began in an ominous manner, having had her fill of the half-demon's bullying and bad temper. "InuYasha, si-!"

"Wait a minute," Michiru broke in, his words causing Kagome to fumble and very nearly fall over in surprise. "I just realized...the two of you are demons as well."

"Huh?!" Kagome started, turning to focus on Michiru and reorganize her angry thoughts. "You mean..InuYasha and Shippo?"

Nodding and making sounds of confirmation, Michiru admitted, "It's actually kind of surprising. I mean, I always thought that demons were all scary monsters." Then he gestured at their non-human companions and added, "And here we are, all together."

Wincing somewhat, Kagome felt the urge to correct Michiru on one detail. "Actually...InuYasha isn't really -"

"That's enough, Kagome," InuYasha broke in, giving her a dirty look. "We don't need to go into that, okay?"

"But..." Kagome started, glancing between InuYasha and Michiru. Only to stop when the Kururugi boy smiled and waved aside her concerns.

"That's alright, Kagome," Michiru assured her. "I'm not really concerned about that kind of thing." With that said, he then heaved a deep breath and asked, "If it's no trouble, could you could take me to Akebi Village?"

Starting somewhat at manners that were far better than what she had become used to, Kagome then nodded. "Of course, we can!" she immediately assured Michiru. "But we need to make some preparations. I'll go to the general store and pick up a few supplies. InuYasha, Shippo, you better get packed. I'll meet you at Kaede's place and then we'll all go to the Akebi Village."

"Okay, sure!" Shippo declared.

"Alright, fine, but I don't see why you're bothering," InuYasha groused with a disinterested look. "It's not like we really need anything."

"What?! You're the one who's always complaining about not having this or that!" Kagome immediately countered.

"And besides, the road leading to Akebi Village is pretty rugged," Shippo reminded the half-demon.

"Exactly! And I don't want to run out of anything in case we get into trouble!" Kagome declared, glad that someone was also seeing sense. "And besides, with Michiru here, we could use some extra supplies. So let's get going!"

Without another word, Kagome started off towards the general store. Leaving the others even as Michiru sighed and muttered, "She really takes this sort of thing over, doesn't she?"

"Kid, you have no idea," InuYasha grumbled sourly. "Still...some extra food couldn't hurt."

"Yeah. Especially since we're gonna probably have to do some fighting on the way," Shippo chimed in.

"Huh?" Michiru started, a wary tone to his words. "Are the demons really that bad?"

"Again, kid; you have no idea," InuYasha muttered gruffly.

* * *

"I...I don't...believe this...!" Michiru huffed and panted. He was completely soaked with sweat, and he felt like his entire body was burning with his recent exertions. "Just how many demons...have we had to fight already?!"

"Beats me," InuYasha declared as he sheathed his massive sword, which Kagome had mentioned was called the Tetsusaiga. "I don't bother keeping count."

"Do you even know how to count...?" Shippo wondered as he panted and wheezed. The little fox lying the path, staring blankly at the sky above, too tired to sound mocking.

"I'm not sure, either," Kagome admitted as she rested with her back against the trunk of a tree. Her cheeks burning with her own exertions as she mopped her brow with her forearm. "But it feels like we've been attacked...I dunno...at least two dozen times by now..."

Heaving a deep breath at this, Michiru gave a tired nod. "That...sounds about right."

When Michiru had suggested going to Akebi Village, he had known that there was a good chance of there being danger along the way. Of more demons appearing with the intent of making a meal of him and the others. The fact that he and InuYasha had been attacked on the way to Kaede's Village and the cyclops that had tried to eat the Kururugi boy were ample proof of this. But he had never imagined anything nearly as ludicrous as this.

"How do most people...get between villages...with all of these running around?!" Michiru demanded, gesturing at the skeletal remains of the beasts that had tried to kill and eat the group of four.

"It's not usually this bad," Kagome reported, heaving a deep breath at the end of her statement. "But for some reason...all of the demons in the land seem to be going completely crazy! And there's a lot more of them than usual, too."

"Boy, I'll say..." Shippo concurred even as he forced himself into a seated position.

"So are you three done resting yet?" InuYasha wondered in an impatient manner. "Remember, the longer you all laze around, the more likely more demons will show up!"

Wincing at the notion of suffering yet another attack, especially when his role in these battles had been little more than running about and trying to avoid being eaten, Michiru heaved a deep breath before moving to assist Shippo. "So..." he wondered as he picked the little fox up, "...how much longer...until we reach the village?"

"It shouldn't be...too much farther," Kagome reported as she looked down the path. "In fact...see that bend in the path?" When Michiru grunted and nodded in confirmation, the raven-haired girl went on to say, "Once we're past that, we should be at the outskirts of the village."

Sucking in another deep breath, Michiru nodded wearily. "Then...let's get going..." he decided before starting forward again. "Before anything happens...!"

"I'm all for that! I'm sick of all of these small fry trying to get in the way!" InuYasha declared in a haughty manner. "Seriously! This gets boring in a big hurry!"

He thinks fighting for our lives is boring?! Are you kidding me?! Michiru thought incredulously. But even as he turned his eyes towards the demonic warrior, he frowned and added, Then again...InuYasha's the only one of us who isn't breathing hard or anything. So maybe...

Deciding that perhaps being a demon had its advantages, Michiru heaved a deep breath before falling in behind InuYasha. Watching as Kagome and Shippo wearily moved to follow, the Kururugi boy did his best to keep his mind sharp and his senses on the alert for any additional demons. But he was tired and adrenaline had its limits, and his brain didn't want to work anymore.

If people back in this time had to deal with things like this, then it's no wonder that the average life expectancy was so short, Michiru decided in a tired manner. And the sooner I get back home, the better...

Hoping like crazy that there was some clue that would lead to his returning home somewhere near, Michiru trudged alongside the others down the path. And it wasn't long before they rounded the bend...and he frowned slightly.

There was no sign of a village, even one like Kaede's Village. Instead, all Michiru could see were a couple people standing around a sign and a nearby horse.

"Um..." Michiru started, glancing about at the others. "So...when does the village start?"

"Right here, actually," Kagome admitted with a sheepish look. "Akebi Village is...pretty small, actually. They do some farming, make charcoal to sell other villages...it's not much, but...that's how they live. Anyway, the main village is up past the bend there."

Deciding not to question the matter, Michiru followed as Kagome and the others as they continued down the path. And he soon saw that Kagome was not kidding when she said that Akebi Village was small. It was even less like what he would consider qualifying as a village than Kaede's Village had been; there was only the one branching path that they were on with a few small buildings and other odd structures lining the way.

Wondering what kept such a tiny village safe from the many demons that had been swarming the woods between Akebi and Kaede's Village, Michiru followed the others down the path where he noticed a man standing near what looked like a small shrine. "Oh! That's Mokichi!" Kagome called out as she started towards the man in question. "Hey, Mokichi!"

Turning to face the approaching girl, Mokichi smiled broadly. "Why, greetings, Lady Kagome! As always, it's a pleasure to see you and your friends."

"Sometimes we come here to pick up a few things for Kaede and the others at her village. Things like charcoal and so on," Kagome explained to Michiru. "Listen, Mokichi, has anything been happening lately? Like...really unusual?"

At this, Mokichi frowned darkly. "Unfortunately, yes, Lady Kagome," he admitted with a weary nod. "There's been some serious trouble lately."

"What kind of trouble?" Shippo wondered with a nervous look.

"It's the old temple. A great many demons have been gathering there," Mokichi reported with a solemn expression. "And even worse, there's the spider."

"A spider?" Michiru repeated with a slight shudder. He had never been fond of insects or arachnids, and he was willing to bet that such creatures in this world could be a lot worse than the relatively harmless pests he was used to. "Guh! I hate spiders!"

"I'm not fond of them, either," Kagome admitted. "But anyway, Mokichi, I was actually hoping to -"

"Mokichi!" came a female voice from somewhere off in the distance. "What's taking you so long?! Did you get those vegetables yet or what?!"

"Oh, drat!" Mokichi grimaced in a tired manner. "I - I'm sorry, Kagome, but I promised my wife that I would pick up a few things, and -!"

"I understand," Kagome quickly assured him with a nod. "You better get home, then."

"Thanks!" Mokichi replied, already starting down one of the side paths. But before he had gone too far, he paused and looked back at us. "And if you want to find out more about the spider, just ask around in the village! Trust me, you won't have a hard time finding out everything about it!"

"Thanks! We will!" Kagome assured him. But Mokichi was already disappearing down the path, hurrying back home.

"A spider? I wonder what that's all about?" Shippo wondered with a slight frown.

"We should probably find out," Kagome decided. "C'mon, you three. Let's ask around, see what we can find out."

Not having any reason to object to this, Michiru followed a short distance behind as Kagome and the others led the way through the tiny village. And while signs of civilization remained sparse, there was a slight increase in the number of buildings and so on. Michiru noticed one structure that stank of smoke where a man whose features were stained with soot worked. But even as he wondered at this, someone else approached their unlikely group.

"Hello, fellow travelers!" called out an unfamiliar man. "I'm Yobei! Who are you?"

"Hi!" Kagome replied, already moving to approach the man that had spoken to them. "My name is Kagome! And these are InuYasha, Shippo, and Michiru!"

As InuYasha grunted and Michiru and Shippo seconded Kagome's greeting, Yobei smiled easily. "Always a pleasure to meet fellow travelers," he declared. Then his features darkened somewhat before he said, "So...I'm guessing that you four can't get out of the village, either?"

"Huh?" Kagome started, immediately perplexed. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, your clothes are different," Yobei explained, gesturing at their garments. "So I figured you weren't from around here."

"Well, you're right in that we're not from this village," Michiru admitted with a nod. "But why can't people get out of the village?"

"Because of the spider," Yobei explained in a more hushed voice. "There's been a big demon spider wandering around the place lately. The way I hear it, no one dares to try and get out of the village because the thing will web you up and drag you back to the old temple so it can drink your blood!"

"Ugh...!" Michiru grimaced, feeling his insides twisting about at this notion. "That must be a really big spider!"

"Sure is!" Yobei confirmed with a quick nod. "It's this great big monster with big, black, hairy legs and more than ten eyes and -!"

"We get the idea!" InuYasha declared impatiently.

"Right, right, sorry!" Yobei replied, holding up his hands in surrender. "So anyway, until somebody manages to take care of the thing, everybody here is too scared to leave the village!"

"With all of the demons we saw on the way here, I can't say I blame them," Michiru muttered beneath his breath, thinking of the endless string of demon encounters that was their journey to Akebi Village. "Sounds like this village is in trouble."

"I agree," Kagome nodded with a slight frown. "We should find out more about this spider."

"Huh?" InuYasha frowned, directing a glare at Kagome. "Wait, aren't we here to find those three villagers Michiru ran into earlier?"

"Well, yeah. But from what people are saying, we might have to deal with this spider in order to get out of the village," Kagome pointed out. "And since we're going to be searching for those villagers anyway, I don't see any harm in asking around. Do you?"

InuYasha looked like he wanted to say something to this. But after a moment, he growled in his throat and made a dismissive sound of annoyance. And so, the small group started searching the village, both looking for the trio of villagers and asking questions about Akebi Village's woes.

Before long, Shippo encountered a villager called Zenkichi who was willing to provide some useful information. "You want to know about the giant spider?" he asked with some surprise.

"Please, sir," Kagome prodded him. "We'd appreciate anything you could tell us!"

Heaving a gruff sigh, Zenkichi started, "Well, all I know is pretty much what everybody knows. The thing's lived in the old temple ever since I was a child, maybe even longer. But recently, it's been attacking here, kidnapping people so it can eat them."

"Recently?" Michiru repeated with an intent frown. "You mean that it didn't chase people before?"

At this, Zenkichi's expression soured that much more. "Why do you want to know?" he demanded in an irritable manner. "What, are you going to the old temple?!"

"And if we are? So what?!" InuYasha demanded, his slitted eyes narrowed dangerously.

Backing down before InuYasha's furious expression, Zenkichi cleared his throat before speaking again. "Uh...my apologies. And to answer your question, the spider never used to come to the village. Up until recently, it was satisfied to eat stray farm animals and creatures in the wild." A beat passed before he went on to add, "You know, if you want to learn more about the spider, then perhaps you should talk to Kakuju."

"Kakuju?" Shippo repeated blankly. "Who's that?"

"She's an old traveler who sometimes visits the village. Strange old woman, but with a great deal of wisdom who knows many stories," Zenkichi explained as he pointed down the path. "If you go back down that way and take a left at the Jizo statues, you'll come to a small house, and then there's a small pond. If Kakuju's still in the village, then that's likely where she'll be."

"At a small pond...okay. I guess we should check it out," Michiru decided with a slight shrug.

"True. It can't hurt, anyway," Kagome agreed. And so the foursome thanked Zenkichi and set out down the path.

With as small as Akebi Village was, it didn't take long to reach the pond. And true to Zenkichi's word, there was an old woman there. She was garbed in green and pink clothes and wore a purple rosary about her neck. She seemed to be looking out across the pond, and as they approached, Michiru noticed that she was supporting herself with a cane.

"Um...excuse me, ma'am?" Michiru began as the four of them approached the old woman from behind. "Are you Kakuju?"

The woman didn't reply at first. After a few seconds, however, she slowly turned towards the group. To Michiru's surprise, her eyes were completely obscured by bangs of gray hair. But before he could wonder how she could see anything like that, she replied, "Yes, I am Kakuju. And you...hmm..."

As Kakuju looked at Michiru, a faint smile curling her lips, Kagome cleared her throat. "Uh, excuse me...Kakuju?" she carefully began. "I'm sorry to bother you, but...we were hoping to talk to you about the spider. You know, the demon spider that lives in the old temple?"

"Can you tell us anything about it?" Michiru wondered even as they old woman seemed to stare right at him.

"Hmm...yes. Yes, I can tell you a great deal about the spider." Then Kakuju gave a smile of aged wisdom before she went on to say, "But I suspect that I can tell you a great deal more...about yourself."

Starting at this odd statement, Michiru took a step back in surprise. "Huh?"

"You see, I was quite surprised by the power you displayed before. It's very rare to see such a display of Shikigami power, especially in this area," Kakuju went on, still smiling a knowing smile. "Tell me, what is your name, young man?"

"My name?" Michiru repeated blankly, taken aback by this turn in the conversation. "I, uh...my name is Michiru, and -"

"Wait a second!" InuYasha bellowed, startling Michiru and the others into jumping back a step. Only Kakuju seemed unruffled by the demon's outburst. "The power he displayed before?! You mean you were there when he was attacked by that demon?!"

"Indeed. Though I was too far away to be of any use to you then or to call out to you when your half-demon companion led you away," Kakuju explained. "Tell me, though; when you were in danger, do you remember the words you cried out?"

Michiru was completely floored and unable to say anything in response. But InuYasha retorted with, "He said something about flame burning brightly and a sword then there was this lion and - old granny, are you saying you know what happened back there?! What kind of power this kid has?!"

"A lion, you say? My, this is a surprise!" Kakuju breathed, bringing her free hand to her chin as she regarded Michiru thoughtfully. "The lion of the flame...hmm...very interesting."

Getting more confused, Michiru exchanged looks with the others before stepping closer to the old woman. "Uh - Kakuju? I'm sorry, but...if you really know what happened back there and what this - this power inside me is, then - please, tell me about it!"

"And don't tell us in riddles, lady!" InuYasha hotly added.

"Of course, of course," Kakuju assured the irate demon. "What you saw before is what is known as Shikigami. A spiritual power that ties one to the world around you and the forces of nature, manifesting in the form of spirit familiars. It is a power that exists within all creatures in the universe."

"Wow. It sounds pretty amazing," Kagome noted excitedly.

Glancing over at Kagome, Michiru then returned his focus to Kakuju. "But...how did this all happen?! Where did this power come from?! I mean...I don't even remember...!"

As Michiru trailed off helplessly, Kakuju smiled and explained, "The power has always been inside of you, Michiru. It's only now that it's beginning to awaken. Even as we speak, the Shikigami and all of the power of nature and more is slowly stirring inside of you. Much like a baby about to open its eyes for the very first time."

Blinking a few times at this, Michiru then asked, "Then...what else can you tell me about this...Shikigami power? I mean...I've never even heard of anything like this before!"

"That's not a surprise," Kagome pointed out. "There's nothing like this in our world."

"Your world?" Kakuju repeated blankly. "What do you mean?"

Wincing at the realization that they had been speaking about something that probably ought not be spoken about, Michiru fumbled as he tried to think of a graceful way out of this dilemma. But before he could open his mouth and make things even worse, Kagome hurriedly said, "Well, you see, Michiru's - he's not from around here, that's all! He's from...somewhere else!"

"Yeah!" Shippo piped up in agreement. "I mean, couldn't you tell from his clothing?"

"I'm afraid not," Kakuju admitted, his smile fading somewhat. "You see, my eyes don't work so well anymore. I can't really tell what you are wearing, or even what you look like."

Groaning at this, Shippo's cheeks burned in humiliation at his affront. "Oh...sorry. I didn't realize..."

Chuckling mildly at this, Kakuju replied, "Don't worry about it."

"So...Kakuju..." Michiru began, trying hard not to get his hopes up and failing miserably, "...is there any way - can you teach me how to use this...Shikigami?"

"Why, of course. I'd be glad to," Kakuju assured him with a broad smile.

"Hey, great!" InuYasha declared with gruff satisfaction. "Maybe this trip won't be such a waste after all!"

"InuYasha..." Kagome grumbled beneath her breath.

Barely paying attention to the two of them, Michiru focused on Kakuju. "So - okay, Grandma Kakuju! How do we start?! I mean -!"

"Alright, first of all, you need to calm down," Kakuju gently told him. "And secondly, before I can teach you anything, we must fully awaken the power stirring inside of you. Until we do so, you won't be able to wield it, and it could react of its own accord. Making it dangerous both to yourself and others."

Starting at this, Michiru paused to envision the power he had already manifested lashing out at random. And when his insides twisted about in knots in response to the images his mind conjured, he gulped slightly before asking, "Okay, um...now what?"

"First, take my hand and close your eyes," Kakuju instructed him even as she held out her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Michiru took hold of the old woman's aged hand. Another moment passed before he closed his eyes. "Now be very still, and relax yourself."

Michiru was still. He wasn't very relaxed, but he did his best to heed the old woman's instructions.

In all honesty, Michiru wasn't sure precisely why he was paying heed to a complete stranger he knew nothing about. He wasn't certain why he was accepting what she was saying so readily. On one level, he knew this likely part of desperation, being trapped in the situation he was and now being forced to depend on relative strangers just to stay alive.

But at the same time...there was just something about the way she spoke. There was something reassuring in Kakuju's words, in the way she spoke. Something that told Michiru without words to trust in what she said.

And so, after heaving several breaths, Michiru found himself relaxing somewhat. And as he did...something warm and comfortable moved to envelop him...

* * *

InuYasha wasn't an idiot, despite Kagome's opinion of him.

Did InuYasha have a lot of anger? Sure. He would never admit it to Kagome's face, but he felt a great deal of rage in his heart. The same kind of rage that had helped him survive those many horrible years after his all-too-human mother had died and he was left alone. The rage that urged him to become strong so that he wouldn't allow himself to die at the hands of the many humans and demons alike that had tried to take his life. And while that anger could boil over at the wrong moments, it was hard to deny all the rage and pain that still lived in his heart.

Could InuYasha be impulsive? Yes, the half-demon knew he was prone to acting before thinking, and this was another thing that he would never admit to Kagome. But for the vast majority of his life, the many enemies he had encountered would not give him the luxury of thinking over his course of action before attacking. To attack first and fiercely was to stay alive. Although this admittedly wasn't a good trait to have when dealing with others, it was another well-worn habit that was difficult to leave behind.

But InuYasha wasn't an idiot. He was learning to read situations better through his interactions with his small band of friends, and he had also learned when a situation could potentially be trouble. Which was why he wasn't completely happy with this encounter with Kakuju. For while her explanations as to why she hadn't approached Michiru earlier made sense...he couldn't help but be bothered by the convenience of their encounter.

This kid shows up from out of nowhere with weird powers that he didn't even know he had? And then, on our very first stop to find out how to get him back home, we find someone who knows about his powers and is willing to teach him about them? InuYasha thought even as he observed Michiru standing before Kakuju. No way our luck could ever be that good!

But even as he thought these things, InuYasha couldn't think of any reason why this old bag might be lying. He scented no trace of Naraku on Kakuju, there was nothing to indicate that she was a demon of any sort. And if this did turn out to be some sort of trick...well, he didn't see any reason why he couldn't show her the error of wasting their time.

And there was no getting around the fact that, without any ability to control his powers and use them of his own volition, Michiru was a burden at best and a liability at worst. The kid was nothing but a frail human with no fighting skills to speak of. And this world of the warring states and demons, someone like that wouldn't last long before winding up very dead. So if there was even the slightest chance of him being able to awaken and master his powers, then they simply couldn't dismiss it out of hand.

Still, if that old bag tries something... InuYasha thought, tensing himself for battle. Just in case something unexpected happened.

Even as InuYasha wondered what would qualify as 'unexpected', a familiar sound pricked his ears. Looking about for the source, the half-demon's eyes widened as a crimson pentagram spun into existence at Michiru's feet. As it grew and intensified, a cloud of crimson energy wafted up from the pentagram, surrounding the boy entirely.

And as the cloud thickened, InuYasha saw something in it. Images of...creatures moving about in the haze. A blazing lion roaring, what looked like a koi fish leaping from a pond, a falcon diving from high in the air, among others. And behind them all was a serpentine figure, almost like...

And then there was a blinding flash of brilliant white light, and InuYasha was forced to shield his eyes. As the others gasped in surprise and averted their eyes as well, the half-demon became aware that the strange sounds had ceased. Prompting him to lower his arms and see that the light had faded away. As had the pentagram and the cloud of red energy that had previously enveloped Michiru.

Blinking a few times as he took in what happened, InuYasha thought, Well, it looks like the old lady wasn't lying about knowing how the kid's powers work...

"Wow! Your body lit up!" Shippo called out even as Michiru opened his eyes. "Is that the power of Shikigami?!"

"No, no," Kakuju replied even as Michiru studied his own hands as if searching for any signs of the power that had enveloped him. "All we've done is awaken Michiru's Shikigami. Or rather, one of them."

"One?" Kagome repeated with an expression of surprise. "You mean...Michiru has more than just the lion?"

"Precisely. The lion of flame if but one of the ten powers now stirring within him," Kakuju explained with a nod. "I dared not try to awaken more than just that one; to do so would be to risk the many Shikigami running out of control, which could well have ended in disaster. Both for Michiru, and all of us as well."

While InuYasha was dubious, the old lady had done nothing to indicate she was lying to them. So he just stood there and listened as Michiru asked, "Okay, so...so now what?"

"Next, you must learn something about how to use the power that has awakened within you," Kakuju explained even as she moved off to the side. Then she turned about and gestured towards a large chunk of glittering stone. "You see that rock there? It's made from what is known as Serpentine, and thus, will react to the power you now wield. If you can properly use the power of your Shikigami, the rock will react and break."

"Well, okay," Michiru nodded. Only to frown heavily and ask, "So, uh...how do I do that?"

"You already know how," Kakuju assured him, much to everyone's surprise. "Just as I have awakened the Shikigami within you, I have also awakened knowledge as to how to use that power. Just concentrate on that power, and the knowledge will come to you as well."

As far as InuYasha was concerned, those words sounded like a whole bunch of nonsense. But before he could say anything to that effect, Kagome came up alongside Michiru and beamed. "Go on, give it a shot!" she urged Michiru. "Besides, I want to see what this Shikigami power can do as well!"

"Yeah! Same here!" Shippo joined in.

Groaning somewhat in his throat, Michiru's cheeks turned pink at the attention being turned towards him. But after a few seconds of glancing between Kagome and Shippo, he heaved a deep breath and looked hard at the rock in question. His eyes narrowing slightly, the Kururugi boy stepped closer to the stone.

"Okay. Here goes," Michiru said, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

As InuYasha and the others looked, the half-demon couldn't help but frown, for nothing seemed to be happening. But after several seconds, a pentagram again spun into existence at Michiru's feet, with energy rising up around him.

"Oh, flame burning bright, change form at my call!" Michiru spoke as the energy around him took on greater definition. "Grieving Flame!"

With these words, a lion of flame once again took shape before Michiru and the others. While Kagome and Shippo were gasping in surprise, the lion then dissolved into a wave of energy that shot into the stone. The Serpentine rock began to pulsate with crimson energy, with the pulsations quickly becoming more rapid and violent.

And then the stone exploded.

Michiru gasped in surprise at this, and quickly raised his arms in front of his face to shield himself from the resultant flying debris. Kagome and Shippo did the same, but even as they did so, what remained of the Serpentine rock disintegrated, fading away into nothing. Leaving nothing but the group...and the old woman that was smiling with clear pride.

"Well done, Michiru," Kakuju noted, nodding her approval.

Blinking a few times as he took in the results of his power, Michiru then smiled broadly as well. "I - I did it!"

"You sure did!" Shippo cried out in glee.

"That was great!" Kagome seconded.

As for InuYasha...while he was certainly glad that Michiru had gained some capability to wield his new powers, this demonstration fell dreadfully short of the initial outburst of power the half-demon had witnessed before. And it was definitely not enough to enable him to fight on an even keel with InuYasha and the others.

"Whatever," InuYasha grumbled, not bothering to hide how unimpressed he was. "I can do that."

"Hey, there's need to get competitive," Shippo hotly protested.

"That's right," Kagome scowled in agreement. "This isn't the place to be waving your sword around."

"I'm just saying that this kid still has a long way to go," InuYasha gruffly explained. "Blowing up rocks is one thing. But fighting demons -"

"Yeah, I know," Michiru admitted, much to InuYasha's surprise. "I mean...I just have a feeling that there's a lot more to this whole...Shikigami thing than...just that."

"Ha. Your insight serves you well, Michiru. For indeed, there is much more for you to learn about the power of the Shikigami. And your potential looms far larger than simply breaking rocks," Kakuju confirmed with a nod. "But the important thing is that you now understand the basics of wielding your power. Next, you must practice putting that power to actual use."

"Right. Thank you, Grandma Kakuju," Michiru replied, giving a polite bow of his head.

"Now, then...ah, yes. You wanted to know about the spider," Kakuju went in a thoughtful manner.

"That's right," Kagome confirmed.

"Then I shall tell you all that I know," Kakuju assured them. "And as I do so...there are a few other small powers I can share with you, Michiru. Small things that I feel may help during the trial that is yet to come."

"Fine. Great," InuYasha muttered, caught between relief that perhaps would Michiru would no longer be such a burden in need of constant protection, and irritation at them being distracted from the real reason they had come to Akebi in the first place. "And maybe then we can finally track down those three villagers Michiru saw earlier!"

"Uh...yeah," Michiru replied, once again looking quite sheepish. "That...would probably be a good idea..."

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry to be so inactive lately. Between college and trying to wrap up some commission work and a persisting bout of depression, I haven't been getting nearly as much done as I had wanted to. But I do hope that you enjoy this chapter! So please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories while you're at it?

Another thing I'm working on are the next few chapters of "Legacy of the Cursed Mask: Battle Across Time". However, those chapters are looking to be complicated with everything that's going to be happening, so I'm taking some time to rough the next few chapters out so I don't wind up making a mess of things. Let's just say that things are going to get pretty ugly in very short order before they even begin to calm down.

On a side note, I've started uploading video game playthroughs with and without commentary over at YouTube. I'm still working out issues with the audio, but so far, it's looking pretty good. I've started with "Ghostbusters the Video Game", and hope to have more content up in the near future. So if you have a moment to spare, please drop by and check out my channel. It's under the same name I use here, OrionPax09.

ryo tadagachi, thank you for the applause. And no need to be nervous. Just get out there with a story in your mind and give it a shot.

Mickol93, thank you. I'm trying to be faithful to the source material while expanding upon it and correcting the mistakes originally made. And yeah, Sango and Michiru are going to enjoy being together.

Uruz 11, don't worry. I know what it's like being completely swamped by life. Yeah, that was a very rude surprise for Michiru, waking up to find out that it wasn't all just a dream! And that is typical of Myoga, isn't it? InuYasha does deserve praise, though I don't think he's nearly as stupid as some people make him out to be. He may not be book smart, but that doesn't make him stupid. InuYasha does also have a protective nature, though he doesn't like to show his soft side. I do agree that it is a pity Kagome didn't see that. That may have been Michiru's first sampling with the InuYasha/Kagome loud mouth marathon, but it definitely won't be the last. Like you say, they argue far too often, and most of it is Kagome's fault. As for the name, I double-checked this playthrough of the original game for names and such. As for Miroku, that actually was an accident. I'll cover what happened in a flashback later on. As you've already seen, Michiru's just gotten his very first taste of dealing with all of those demonic hordes from the game. Expect that to become a running gag in the story. And I'm personally looking forward to handling Miroku and Sango. Not just their return, mind you, but I'm also planning on covering some of what happened with them before they rejoined the others in Kaede's Village, in addition to building up Michiru and Sango's relationship.

WOLFWATCHER12, I've already got plans in mind for Battle Across Time. I just need to spend some time, roughing out the plotline. As for a tournament...I'll consider it.

Deiru Tamashi, I'm glad that InuYasha's interaction with Michiru rang true. The half-demon isn't one who gets close to people very easily. Also, I plan on showing how the magnet fruit bit went in a flashback later on.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint, thanks, I did my best to get the characterization down right. And don't forget, Michiru and InuYasha have yet to really bond, so it's not surprising that InuYasha is reacting to him in this way. And yes, Michiru is in for a very rough ride.

J4RRE77, sorry, but those are lions. I did my research on that. Check out the article "No Lions in China?" by Chet Braun. Also, lions are strongly associated with Buddha, and the imagery of lions traveled to Japan with Buddhism.


	5. The Old Temple

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Secret of the Cursed Mask: Michiru's Journey

Chapter 5: The Old Temple

"So that's all you can tell us?" Michiru asked with a note of disappointment. "You don't know anything else about the giant spider?"

"I'm afraid not," the old woman that had identified herself as Kakuju admitted. "The spider only recently began attacking the village, and its aura feels stronger than it has in the past. But as for what might be responsible for these things...I'm afraid I simply don't know enough to even hazard a guess."

"I see," Kagome frowned unhappily.

"And what about this Shikigami thing?!" InuYasha gruffly demanded. "Can't you teach this kid anything else about it?"

"Oh, I can teach him a great deal about the powers of the Shikigami. But not yet," Kakuju informed him. "For even though he can now command that power, your friend Michiru has yet to learn to manipulate it properly. I...hmm...I suspect that the best way of putting it would be to compare him to a young child learning to walk. He's gained the capability to stand up on his own two legs, but he still has to learn how to put one foot in front of the other while keeping his balance. And just as such a child has to learn these things before learning how to run, Michiru must practice what ability he has now before he can properly wield the powers of nature."

"Is it really that hard to learn how to use Shikigami?" Shippo wondered.

"Not exactly. But like any other skill, learning to use the Shikigami takes much time and practice. And I'm afraid that, since Michiru is so new to his powers, it will be some time before he can achieve his full potential." A beat passed as Kakuju gave a slight smile at Michiru and added, "But I suspect it will not be long before you are ready to learn more about the Shikigami."

"I...hope so," Michiru replied somewhat uncertainly. On the one hand, he knew that he needed to learn how to use his newly discovered powers as soon as possible if he were to survive in this world gone mad. But at the same time, he already knew that the skills he needed would not be honed in the relative comfort of this or any other village. They would have to be honed in battle. And that was not something he was looking forward to in the slightest. "Anyway, thanks again, Grandma Kakuju."

"You're welcome, all of you," Kakuju replied with a polite bow of her head. "I'm certain that we'll meet again soon."

InuYasha responded to this by growling in his throat and looking away. As Michiru was deciding that that was probably pretty good, all things considered, Kagome declared, "Now let's get going. We still have to find the villagers Michiru saw before."

"Right," Michiru nodded. "Goodbye, Grandma. Hope to see you again soon."

"Take care, Michiru," Kakuju replied, nodding once more even as Michiru and the others turned to depart.

* * *

Even though time had stolen much of her eyes' usefulness, Kakuju had learned to use her other senses. Some of which were senses that depended on something more than crude flesh. Indeed, the powers of the Shikigami allowed her to see far more than an ordinary person with perfect vision could ever hope to see.

But at the same time, Kakuju still retained the full use of her other senses. Her aged ears still worked perfectly, allowing her to easily hear the world around her. To perfectly hear a voice...that brought back much of the past.

 _That boy...he sounded somewhat like...him..._ Kakuju couldn't help but think, wincing at the painful memories this thought brought back to the surface. _The voice was a bit different...but the manner with which he spoke, the kindness in his words..._

A tear fell from Kakuju's eye, startling her somewhat. It wasn't like her to grow so close to someone so easily, not after so long a time of wandering alone as she had. But at the same time...

 _No. I can't let myself start drowning in the past again,_ Kakuju chided herself with a tiny shake of her head. _But even so...Michiru...he's a good boy. I sensed that much about him when I first sensed his powers, and even more when I awakened them. And from what they told me, he's bound to need a great deal of help before he can find his way back home. I'd best look after him as best as I can._

With this in mind, Kakuju reached into the folds of her kimono and drew forth a talisman marked with a pentagram. As a pentagram spun into existence at her feet, the aged priestess channeled her power into the talisman, which then transformed into a bird that then took flight.

 _Now...let's see what happens next..._ Kakuju thought as the bird took flight. Moving to observe Michiru and his odd group of friends...

* * *

As Michiru and the others made their way back through Akebi Village, the modern teen couldn't help but feel a thrill as he looked at the palm of his hand. For floating above his bare skin was a hazy orb of brilliant crimson, a ball of magical power whose warmth he could feel radiating upon him.

 _Magic...real magic!_ Michiru couldn't help but think, an idiot grin splitting his face as he slowly began playing with the mystical power that he had conjured up. Something he had done simply to experiment with the power that Kakuju had awoken within him. _And I'm the one actually doing it! It's not happening all on its own, not some out-of-control accident I have no idea how to control! But actual magic that_ I _can control! I can't believe -!_

"Michiru!" Kagome hissed, causing him to jump in surprise. The sphere of magic nearly dissipated even as he recovered and looked about to see his fellow time traveler shutting him a deadly glare. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Huh?!" Michiru squawked in dismay, feeling somewhat like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Wh-what do you mean?!"

"What do I mean?! _That,_ obviously!" Kagome shot back even as she pointed at the magical energies in Michiru's hand. "Put it out already! People are staring at us!"

"Hmph! Like you yelling is helping," InuYasha muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, what's the big deal? So they're looking at us! So what?!"

Kagome opened her mouth to counter, but before she could, Michiru hastily extinguished the magical sphere. "Uh, it's alright, you two!" he hurriedly proclaimed, putting his hands out as he placed himself between them. "I - sorry, Kagome. It's just...I was just...testing out this whole Shikigami thing. You know...trying to get the hang of it. So I can use it. Especially after all of the trouble we've already been through."

"Good thinking," InuYasha promptly declared. "The sooner you can use that weird spell you showed off when that big ogre tried to eat you, the better!"

Pausing to glare at the half-demon, Kagome sighed before speaking again. "Look, I understand what you're saying, but seriously! You can't wait to start fiddling around with that Shikigami thing until we're _away from the village?!_ We don't want that kind of attention!"

"And I still say, so what?! Let 'em stare if they want!" InuYasha countered in a dismissive fashion. "Now that this kid's powers are awake, he needs to train so he can use them!"

"I realize _that,_ InuYasha!" Kagome promptly shot back. "But there's a time and place for that sort of thing! The people of Akebi, they aren't used to this sort of thing! And we don't want to scare them! We need to -!"

"Hey! There they are!" Michiru cried out, freezing in mid-step. Even as InuYasha and Kagome stopped in a much more awkward fashion, resulting in them both hovering on the toes of one foot for a few seconds.

As Kagome and InuYasha frantically spun their arms about in an attempt to regain their balance, Shippo cried out. "What is it, Michiru?"

"Over there!" Michiru cried out even as he pointed down the path. "It's the villagers that were chasing me before!"

"Huh?!" InuYasha demanded as he regained his footing. "You're sure about that?!"

"Positive!" Michiru confirmed even as he sized up the two men, one of them fairly elderly, and the woman. "They were chasing me all over and trying to kill me! That's not the kind of person you forget!"

InuYasha gave a derisive snort at this. "Trust me, when it happens on a daily basis, those kind of people become one big blur." While Michiru was frowning somewhat at this, the dog-eared demon muttered, "Well, if you're sure it's them, then you better go ask them about where they found you."

"Right," Michiru nodded, the fact that he was no longer alone and powerless doing wonders for his courage. So without another thought, he made his way towards the villagers.

"Uh, are you sure this is a good idea?!" Shippo wondered even as Kagome finally recovered.

"There you are!" Michiru called out as he approached the trio of villagers with InuYasha a short distance behind. "You're the ones that came after me before!"

As soon as Michiru spoke, the trio of villagers looked up in his directions. A few seconds passed before the woman hissed, "Gosuke, that's -!"

"It's him!" the man called Gosuke growled in his throat. As he, the woman, and the elderly man advanced upon Michiru, Gosuke cried out, "Demon, give me back my daughter or so help me I'll -!"

"Hey, back off, pal!" InuYasha growled, interposing himself between Michiru and the villagers. "You want to get to this kid, you have to go through me first!"

"InuYasha, hold on!" Kagome cried out even as she moved to interpose herself between the demon and the villagers. Then she flashed Gosuke a reassuring smile and added, "Listen, you don't have to be afraid! This kid here isn't actually a demon!"

"Not a demon?" Gosuke blankly repeated. "Then - what's with his clothing?! And - your clothing, for that matter?!"

"Huh? Oh, these?" Kagome got out, pausing just long enough to tug at her own sailor-style outfit. "There just clothes. Ordinary, average outfits. Well, they're ordinary where we come from!"

"That's right," InuYasha piped up with a disinterested nod. "I've been to where they're from. And they all dress weird like that."

Gosuke frowned heavily even as he studied both Michiru and Kagome. "Hmm...come to think about it, I had heard about an oddly dressed priestess who's been seen around the village where Kikyo once lived. One who was traveling with..." Then his eyes rounded in surprise before he looked towards the crimson-clad demon. "Oh, my...are you...InuYasha?!"

At these words, InuYasha's eyes narrowed sharply. "Yeah. So what about it?!"

"Well, it's just - we've all heard about how you've been protecting the neighboring villages since you were resurrected! About you and your companions!" Gosuke hurriedly explained. But even as he was smiling shakily, he turned his eyes towards Michiru. At which his smile sagged like melting ice cream. "And...this boy..."

InuYasha didn't say anything to this. He just stood there, looking at Gosuke with what looked liked confusion. Almost like he couldn't believe that anybody was speaking favorably about him. But even as Michiru was considering this, Kagome jumped in and explained, "Oh, we just met him! Fact is, InuYasha saved him from a demon after you...uh...ran into him." Pausing to glance back and forth between Michiru and the villagers, she again focused on Gosuke. "But anyway, as I was saying, this kid isn't a demon. He's human, like you and me."

"It's true," Michiru seconded with a nod. "I was actually hoping to ask you for directions when I ran into you. I'm...a long way from home, to be honest."

Gosuke just stood there and frowned heavily as he studied the boy. "Hmm...you do seem pretty weak to be a demon..."

"You noticed that, huh?" InuYasha muttered even as Michiru gave the demon a look of dismay.

"That's right!" Shippo chimed in, causing Michiru to wince. "He's just a human! Well, except - mmph?!"

"Uh, that's right! He's just a human!" Kagome confirmed even as she covered Shippo's mouth.

Pausing to frown as Kagome continued to muffle Shippo, Gosuke then sighed. "Then...I guess we owe you an apology. I...we should have realized you weren't a demon sooner. But...were so panicked, we...we just saw your strange clothes, and..."

As Gosuke trailed off, Kagome frowned. "You were panicking? About what?"

"It's...my daughter," Gosuke admitted with a look of sorrowful despair. "She...was taken by a demon."

"A demon, huh?" InuYasha noted with a raised eyebrow. "You mean that big spider we've heard about?"

"Yes!" Gosuke confirmed with a quick nod. "It came to the village and took my daughter! So we all went looking for her, hoping that - well, I don't even know what we were hoping to do! But we had to do something!" Then the villager turned towards Michiru with shamed eyes. "And then..."

"And that's when I showed up, huh?" Michiru gathered.

"That's right," nodded the eldest of the trio. "When we saw your strange clothes, we all thought that you were the spider-demon or some other creature in disguise. It's just as Gosuke said."

"I see. I guess my clothes would seem pretty strange to you," Michiru assured them. "But...well, if it's no trouble, I'd like to ask you something."

"Of course," the woman of the group nodded.

With that, Michiru began to explain what had happened to him that day. He gave a heavily abridged account of his arrival, completely removing the time travel aspect of his story. But he did explain how he had fallen through the floor of his family's storehouse and found himself in a foreign land. "When I first arrived here, I was pretty freaked out," he concluded. "I didn't know what to do."

"That's understandable," said the woman, who had subsequently been introduced as Yone.

"But after I met InuYasha and the others, well...they think that there might be a clue as to how I got here in the first place somewhere near where I had first woken up. And since I ran into you shortly after I got here, I think you might be my best chance of finding where I had first woken up," Michiru continued. "So tell me something; the area where I first saw you? Did you see a well or something that looked strange? Anything that stuck out at all?"

To Michiru's dismay, Gosuke's response was to quickly shake his head. "No, I didn't see a well. Or anything that wasn't as it should've been." Then he frowned and looked back at his companions. "What about you two? After we split up, did you see anything unusual?"

As Yone shook her head, the old man that had introduced himself as Tagohei stated, "I'm afraid not. There was nothing of interest anywhere around there."

Deflated by this, Michiru sighed, "I see..."

"Dammit. We finally find the place, and we've got nothing to show for it," InuYasha grumbled ominously. "Talk about a waste of time..."

"That's too bad," Shippo murmured solemnly. "Guess we should head back to Kaede's Village."

"Uh, hold on!" Kagome hurriedly protested. Then she stepped closer to Gosuke and the other villagers. "Gosuke...what about your daughter? Did you find her?"

"No," Gosuke grimly admitted. "There's been no sign of her, and...the men that chased after the spider...they never came back. So...I don't know what we're going to..."

Then Gosuke's eyes lit up with inspiration. "Wait...InuYasha, we've heard about your exploits. How you and your friends and fought and defeated many powerful demons!" he cried out in desperate hope. "Is there any chance...could you possibly -?"

"What? Go after that spider?" InuYasha wondered in a gruff tone of voice. Even as Michiru noted the villagers' faces falling somewhat, the demon smiled. "Sure. We'll take care of that thing."

His eyes expanding in astonished hope, Gosuke breathed, "You - you'll really destroy it for us?!"

"And get our dear Sachi back?!" Tone added.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Tagohei chimed in.

"Hey, don't make a big deal about it!" InuYasha snorted derisively. "So this spider, it lives in an old temple, right? Which way to the old temple?"

"Just follow this path! It will lead you out of the village and into a rocky expanse! Once you're past that, you'll find the temple!" Gosuke eagerly informed them. "Just...please, bring my daughter back home...!"

"Sure, no problem!" InuYasha declared before starting down the path without another word. Kagome and Shippo were quick to follow. As for Michiru, he just stood there for a moment, not liking the way things were going, before deciding that it would be better to stay close to his companions.

As Michiru caught up with the others, Shippo was giving the demon a confused look. "Are you feeling okay, InuYasha?" the little fox wondered. "It's not like you to just volunteer and help someone like this!"

"Don't get any ideas, kid," InuYasha roughly retorted. "I'm just bored with all of this walking we've been doing. And after wasting so much time on this stupid trip, I could use some excitement."

"Oh," Shippo groaned sourly. "That explains a lot..."

"Besides, it's probably just some weak old demon that spends its time hiding in the temple," InuYasha continued. "I'll take it apart before it even knows what hit it."

"Uh, excuse me. But it might not be that easy," Michiru pointed out. "Remember what Kakuju said? About the spider seemed stronger now? And the villagers also said that it's been acting differently. So -"

"Oh, shut up!" InuYasha shot back. "What do you know about demons, anyway?! You only just got here!"

"Don't be rude, InuYasha!" Kagome scolded him. "Michiru's just concerned, that's all! And who can blame him, what with how new this all is to him?!"

"But that's my point! The kid doesn't know a thing about demons!" InuYasha countered. "Besides, after everything we've had to deal with, you honestly think I'm gonna have any problem with some dumb spider who lives in a damned old shrine?! One Wind Scar attack and this will all be over!"

Michiru had no idea what a Wind Scar was. Nor did he know anything about the kind of enemies InuYasha and the others had fought in the past.

But as he and the others continued down the path to the old temple, Michiru couldn't help but have a very bad feeling about what was to come...

* * *

As InuYasha and the others continued down the path, the half-demon noticed how quickly Michiru was to fall silent. On one level, that only served to reinforce the notion that the kid was a doormat, just doing whatever anyone else told him. But at the same time, even he had to admit that these were probably not ideal circumstances for someone from Kagome's world.

At least he isn't nagging me the way Kagome does, InuYasha noted as the kid continued along with the others. Then he noted their surroundings and added, Or panicking about this stupid place we're in...

The unlikely foursome had left behind the warm sun and pleasant trappings of Akebi Village in their wake some time ago. Now they were moving through the rocky expanse that Gosuke had warned them off, and while InuYasha had seen much worse places to be, he could see how this place would be unpleasant for humans. Steep walls of rock flanked the branching path on both sides, the vegetation was sparse and dangerous, and the entire area was filled with a deep fog that plunged the entire into a darkness as deep as midnight. And as the group continued forward, InuYasha's keen ears made him aware of various creatures moving about the area. And those creatures were not at all mortal.

Still, we've handled worse, InuYasha reminded himself, thinking of all of the times that they had faced off against Naraku and other horrible demons. And - okay, we'll have to keep an eye on Michiru! Make sure that he doesn't choke or anything stupid like that! But at least he can use some of his powers now! And as long as we can keep an eye on him, this shouldn't be any trouble!

Taking this thought and ramming it hard into his consciousness, InuYasha continued to make his way down the path. All the while keeping his senses keened, his nose constantly reporting the various demonic stenches that wafted across the landscape.

The group wound up taking a few wrong turns that ended in dead ends, with Michiru finding a few odds and ends along the way. Deciding that they were most likely all that remained of whatever humans were luckless enough to come this way before them, InuYasha throttled down his impatience. Because as much as he was loathe to admit it to anyone, he was concerned about both the spider...and the girl it had taken.

Damned thing's probably already eaten that girl... InuYasha thought irritably, his hand finding its way to Tetsusaiga's hilt. But we can at least stop it from killing anybody else! That is, assuming we can actually find the damned temple!

But even as this thought was stoking InuYasha's anger, the half-demon and the others rounded a bend...and found what could only be their destination.

It was an old temple, that much was clear. The aged structure had long since fallen into disrepair and was bracketed by numerous dead trees. Stark gray mountains lay in the background, and even at a distance, InuYasha could see numerous spider webs marking the structure.

"So...that's the old temple," Michiru groaned. Definitely nervous, but not truly afraid. "Looks like the perfect place for a giant spider to hang out in..."

"I-I'll say...!" Shippo seconded, definitely more fearful.

"Let's be careful," Kagome declared even as she brought forth her bow and readied an arrow. "We don't know where the spider is, but we don't want to give it a chance to take us by surprise!"

"Feh! Whatever!" InuYasha declared with a note of arrogance even as he unsheathed the Tetsusaiga. "Let's just find this dumb spider and kill it already!"

Without waiting for anybody to protest, InuYasha started forward again. He noticed Kagome groaned in frustration and Shippo gulping. Michiru just heaved a heavy sigh before moving to follow as well. And as one, the unlikely group advanced upon the aged temple.

With the very first footstep taken into the dilapidated structure, the boards began creaking ominously. Signaling to whatever demons lay within that a potential meal was their gate.

Which is just fine by me! InuYasha thought, tightening his grip on the Tetsusaiga as he and the others marched into the temple proper. His keen eyes already adjusting to the darkness, he began peering this way and that, scanning for any potential threats. Alright, you bastards! Come and get me! I'm ready for whatever you -!

There was a spark of crimson light out of the corner of his eyes. Reacting on sheer instinct, InuYasha whirled about to face the potential threat, roaring a cry of battle...

Only to cut himself off in mid-swing when he saw Michiru jumping back several steps and falling to the floor. A plume of magical light falling out of his hands and disappearing as he did so.

"Ow...!" Michiru groaned even as InuYasha stood there and stared at him.

"Michiru, are you alright?!" Kagome asked. Right before she turned and glared at the half-demon she was already blaming for what had happened. "InuYasha...!"

"Don't start with me, Kagome! I saw something out of the corner of my eye and thought it might be trouble, okay?!" InuYasha crossly declared. Then he turned towards Michiru and muttered, "You alright, kid?"

"Uh...yeah. Sorry," Michiru muttered apologetically. "With how dark this place is, I thought I'd try and use this Shikigami thing to help give us some light. I didn't mean to startle anybody."

"That's okay. But do us all a favor and remember that light doesn't just make it easier to see. It also makes it easier for any demons here to see you," InuYasha gruffly replied, once again reminded of some of the stupid mistakes Kagome had made back when she had first arrived in the Feudal Era. "Now stay close and be ready! We don't know where -!"

InuYasha was cut off by a hideous shrieking. Cursing himself for letting himself be distracted, the half-demon immediately whirled about to face the source of the noise. And witnessed a horde of demonic bats, crows, and even a skeletal wraith shrouded with a ghoulish cloak falling upon them.

"Waaaaaaa!" Shippo wailed in surprise, jumping back a few steps as the demons fell upon them. "Back off! Foxfire!"

Conjuring up a ball of green flame, Shippo used it to blast a few of the attacking demons. Kagome was already falling back closer to InuYasha as she fired an arrow. But the half-demon knew that her weapon wasn't as useful in close quarters combat.

Which means that it's up to me! InuYasha thought as he leaped at the attacking demons, brandishing the Tetsusaiga. With a roar of battle, the half-demon cleaved several of the attacking beasts in two, sending gouts of blood and gore spilling to the floor.

But even as InuYasha was landing from his attack, more demons were encroaching. As they closed in on Kagome, the reincarnated priestess in the midst of drawing another arrow, the half-demon quickly moved to protect her from another skeletal ghoul. Effortlessly killing another demon, InuYasha scowled when he heard Shippo crying out again.

"Dammit! This place is crawling with demons!" InuYasha declared even as he turned towards the latest threat. "Too bad for them that they're all a bunch of weaklings! And -!"

"Gah! Back off!" came Michiru's voice.

In an instant, InuYasha was cursing in his head. He wasn't accustomed to working with others; even in terms of their little group, he preferred working independent of the others whenever possible. Not only was he used to that sort of thing, but as a half-demon, he could take and survive much more punishment than his considerably more frail companions. And at that moment, he realized that he had momentarily forgotten about Michiru.

"Hang on, kid!" InuYasha gruffly began as he whirled about. "I'm - huh?!"

"Shikigami Attack!" Michiru continued, having been in the midst of conjuring up a couple of fireballs. His moves somewhat clumsy, betraying how unaccustomed he was to fighting, he still managed to throw the fireballs at a couple of crow-demons that were coming at him. One of the demons got its wing burnt and was forced to back off, but the other fireball landed squarely the in the other crow's mouth. The result was the bird exploding in a putrid cloud of smoke and scorched feathers.

InuYasha couldn't help but blink in surprise even as Michiru readied another fireball for the surviving crow. These attacks weren't even close to the spell that he had first seen Michiru use, and these crows were pathetic little things that he could effortlessly decimate with just his claws. But even so, it was good to see that he wasn't panicking in the face of danger.

Then again, Kagome got used to things pretty fast, InuYasha reminded himself. Hope this means he'll shape up soon. The last thing we need is to babysit a load of dead -!

"Hey, get off of me!" Kagome cried out even as a bat demon grabbed at her clothing. Not even bothering to load her latest arrow, she instead jammed the tip into the bat's face.

"Look out, Kagome!" InuYasha ordered even as he moved to cover her again. "These things aren't very strong, but there's a lot of them!"

"Yeah, I noticed!" Kagome nodded even as she prepared another arrow. "We better stay close, and -!"

"Aauuughh!" Shippo cried out again, prompting InuYasha to look about. To his dismay, the little fox was running about with more demons on his tail. And even worse, he was running towards Michiru, who was too busy lobbing fireballs at demons to focus on an ally.

This proved to be a mistake when Shippo crashed into Michiru, knocking the boy off-balance. "Huh - what?!" Michiru cried out, trying to figure out what was going on. Which left him open to a wraith that was shooting towards him.

"Back off!" Kagome ordered even as she fired an arrow at the wraith. As the Sacred Arrow shot forth, the energy it radiated pierced through the demon, dispelling the magic that sustained it and causing it to burst apart.

"Ugh - what - Shippo?!" Michiru cried out even as he recovered. "What are you -?!"

"Get it together, you two!" InuYasha ordered, spearing the little fox with a glare. "We still have more demons to deal with!"

"I know! I - ack!" Michiru cried out, caught between trying to pry Shippo off and addressing another wraith coming his way. He decided to focus on the wraith and conjured up another fireball. "Shikigami Attack!"

"Foxfire!" Shippo seconded, launching his own fiery attack even as Michiru launched his, The two magical attacks intersected before they reached the wraith.

To InuYasha's surprise, Michiru's Shikigami fireball seemed to wrap about Shippo's foxfire, causing it to glow with a brilliant blue light. The foxfire suddenly seemed to expand, growing in size and intensity, until it suddenly enveloped the wraith and several other demons. The foul fiends were suddenly immersed in the combined magics, screeching in pain. A screech that lasted until the forms of the demons were incinerated, rendered naught but ashes that fell to the floor.

In the wake of this attack, Michiru and Shippo froze up, their expressions having fallen in shock. But the effect that this had on the demons was even more profound. Having finally gotten it into their heads that this was not a meal worth fighting for, what few remained turned and left, flying away as fast as they could.

Which will probably last about as long as it takes for them to round up more of whatever's lurking in this damned dump, InuYasha scowled, refusing to place Tetsusaiga back in its sheath. Refusing to let his guard down for a second.

"Are you two alright?" Kagome wondered as she approached Shippo and Michiru.

"Uh - yeah, yeah! I mean, of course we're okay, Kagome!" Shippo declared, regaining some of the bravado he tended to have outside of battle. "I mean, how could we not be okay?! After all, Michiru had me to protect him!"

Michiru made an uncertain noise in his throat, as if he wasn't able to process the fox-demon's audacity. But before he could break his brain by trying to do so, Kagome spoke again. "Anyway, did you see what happened when your attacks collided?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah. I did," Michiru numbly nodded. "I mean...it seemed like they got more powerful when they combined."

"I know. But I wonder why," Kagome mused in a thoughtful manner. "Maybe there's more to this Shikigami power of yours than we know. A lot more."

"Well, whatever it is, we can figure it out later," InuYasha declared in a harsh voice that got everybody's attention. "We still have to track down that damned spider, remember?"

At first, Kagome looked annoyed. But then she sighed and nodded. "And don't forget about Sachi. We have to find her as well."

Like there's even a chance that she's still alive, InuYasha groused inwardly. He considered saying as much, but he decided that he was not in the mood to risk being sat. Instead, he just muttered, "Let's get moving. I don't want to waste my time on these small fry! It's time to take care of the damned spider!"

An instant later, InuYasha silently added, And the less time we spend here, the less chance of any of you getting hurt

He didn't say that, however. InuYasha had learned a hard lesson about exposing any sort of weakness in the face of a potential enemy a long time ago. And even though he had an easier time in letting down his shields with his current companions, those old, painful lessons had not been forgotten. And so he turned and continued into the temple, focusing on his senses to guide them to where they needed to go.

Kagome continued to scowl, but thankfully, she said nothing further. Instead, she groaned and moved to follow InuYasha. Michiru and Shippo were quick to follow, with the newcomer to their group pausing to glance back over his shoulder. Making certain that nothing was following.

Stay focused, kid, InuYasha silently said to the relative stranger. You're a long way from using your powers, and I don't want anybody dying on my watch...

* * *

And I thought things were bad, just walking to Akebi Village?! Michiru thought in astonishment as he and the others stood triumphant over what felt like the hundredth batch of demons that had swarmed in on them. This whole temple is one big nest of demons! This is like something out of that movie with all of those acid-bleeding monsters! How do people even manage to stay alive in this crazy world?!

Missing his comfortable home and life more than ever now, Michiru carefully eyed the remains of a nearby demon that were already breaking down, leaving nothing but its bones. They had been fighting through the temple for a long while now, exploring the various rooms and chambers. And with each room, Michiru felt more and more like this was the kind of place producers of horror movies would gleefully use for their movies. They hadn't found any human remains, but they happened upon various sheets of paper with fearful messages written on them. Michiru had also happened upon other odds and ends like crystal hairpins and armbands and more.

Probably left behind after demons found someone, and... Michiru thought, only to gulp and shudder at the image this conjured. His imagination now in overdrive with all of the stimulation it had been getting this day.

And this was something that wasn't helped at all when Michiru felt a hand landing on his shoulder. "Gaaahh!" he cried out as he whirled about...only to settle down when he saw who had touched him. "Kagome?!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Kagome immediately assured him. "I just...how are you holding up?"

Pausing just long enough for his heart to stop beating like a machine gun, Michiru then heaved a heavy sigh. "I...I'm okay, I guess. I never did like scary stuff like horror movies, and -" Then he cut himself off and again looked about their surroundings, and demanded, "I just - how do people actually manage to live with these things running around?!"

"A lot of them don't, kid. That's the problem," InuYasha gruffly declared. "I think we're getting close to the spider! Check this door out!"

Without another word, Michiru and the others moved to investigate. There was a significant amount of dust on the floor of the temple, betraying how long it had been since anything human had lived there. But there were strange footprints leading to and from the door. And the door itself was scratched and worn, showing that it had seen significant wear-and-tear. "Something's been using this door," Kagome noted, putting these observations into words. "And pretty recently, too."

"You think it was the spider?" Michiru wondered even as he observed the sizeable door.

"Pretty sure. I'm picking up this weird smell. Something's been through here, and recently," InuYasha declared.

"Then let's go get the spider and save Sachi!" Kagome declared, pushing past the others and taking hold of the door. Only to be brought up short when the door refused to slide open. "Huh?!" she started, pausing to glare at the obstinate obstacle. Then she gritted her teeth and tried again, but to no avail. "Ugh, it's locked! We'll have to - gah!"

Without warning, InuYasha rammed the Tetsusaiga through the door, tearing through it like it was soggy toilet paper. As Kagome and the others jumped back in surprise, he proceeded to hack the door apart, ripping out the frame and more before tossing it aside. "Not anymore, it isn't!"

As Kagome scowled and growled in her throat, Michiru groaned somewhat. "Uh, that was good work, InuYasha...but don't you think you should've warned us before doing that? Kagome could've been hurt, and -"

"That's what I was about to say!" Kagome declared, staring daggers at InuYasha. "What do you think you were doing?! You couldn't have taken five seconds to warn me before you rammed your sword into the door?!

"So what's the big deal?!" InuYasha hotly demanded. "What, you think I was gonna hit you by mistake?!"

"If I'd moved the wrong way, then yeah, it could happen!" Kagome instantly shot back. "Honestly, try thinking before you go ramming your sword into -!"

"Uh...excuse me?" Michiru broke in, cautiously raising his hand like he was back in class.

As one, Kagome and InuYasha swung their irate gazes at Michiru. "What is it?!"

Jumping back a step at their outraged expressions, Michiru required a moment to recover before speaking. "Well, it's just...with the way you two were carrying out...aren't you worried that the spider will notice all the noise? And that it'll be ready and waiting for us?"

A few seconds passed as the two of them considered this. Right before Kagome turned towards InuYasha and growled, "Hey, that's right! Nice going, InuYaha! Now you've cost us the element of surprise!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" InuYasha shot back. "You were the one yelling! And besides -!"

"Oh, like you weren't?!" Kagome demanded.

"And besides, if this demon has any brains in its head, then it noticed us the instant we arrived in this place!" InuYasha countered. "I've dealt with spider-demons before! They pick up on footsteps, voices, and - huh?!"

Feeling more and more exhausted, Michiru shoved his way past the bickering twosome. "If this thing knows we're coming, then we might as well go ahead," he muttered tiredly. Then he glanced down at Shippo and whispered, "Besides, I think I'd rather fight this spider then have to deal with them arguing..."

"Hey, I heard that!" InuYasha irately declared.

"So did I! And he started it!" Kagome added, jabbing her finger in InuYasha's face.

"I don't care who started it!" Michiru groaned, feeling like this moment he was a legendary camel and Kagome and InuYasha were a pair of straws. "All I know is that this is the last place we need to be arguing! I mean - okay, InuYasha? I can't blame Kagome for being upset. I mean, you really should've warned her or told her to get out of the way or -"

"See? What did I tell you!" Kagome smirked in triumph even as InuYasha glared at Michiru. "If you could actually think -"

"But Kagome, yelling at him didn't help!" Michiru broke in. "Couldn't you have...I don't know! Just asked him to be more careful in the future?"

"Yeah, why not try just asking me to do something instead of ordering me around?!" InuYasha demanded.

"Ha! Like you'd even bother listening!" Kagome snarked back. "Honestly, you're such a -!"

"Ugh! Now it's even worse!" Shippo groaned, massaging his forehead in visible pain. "Honestly, they're both such kids!"

Unable to argue with this, Michiru sighed and turned. Without another word, he started down the steps leading into the lower levels of the temple. Hopefully, once they see me moving, they'll stop arguing and start moving, he thought without much optimism. How have they managed to survive all of this time while carrying on like that...?

Shaking his head at stupidity he thought was confined exclusively to crazy harem anime, Michiru was about halfway down the stairs when he heard frantic footsteps overtaking him. "Hey, where do you think you're going?!"

As InuYasha again glared at him, Kagome nodded and added, "Yeah, you can't go wandering around down here by yourself! You've barely even learned anything about your powers yet!"

"Then can we please find Sachi and the...spider?" Michiru wondered, not the least bit enthusiastic about confronting a giant creepy-crawly. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can get out of here!"

"Yeah! So stop wasting everybody's time with your fighting!" Shippo seconded, fixing the two of them with an authoritative glare.

A few seconds passed as InuYasha and Kagome looked at the two of them. Then they slowly glanced at each other, then snorted and looked the other way. "Ugh...alright, fine!" the demon growled before starting past Michiru. "Just don't run off on your own again, kid! Got it?!"

"Yeah, this place is dangerous, Michiru!" Kagome seconded as she moved to follow InuYasha.

Before long, Michiru and Shippo were again in the last position. With the Kururugi boy again heaving a deep sigh. "I think I'd rather deal with the spider than them arguing some more..." he muttered. "This must be what it feels like to be a babysitter...except that you don't get paid."

Heaving a knowing sigh, Shippo nodded, "I know exactly how you feel. Honestly, they're both such kids!"

Again wondering how this group had managed to survive this long if they could break out in an argument as easily as this, Michiru sighed once more and continued to follow them downstairs and through the basement of the temple. They continued to fight demons along the way, with InuYasha and Kagome thankfully putting their differences aside once more. Which was fortunate, because it was the demon who did the lion's share of the fighting.

 _I still wish I knew how I did...whatever it was InuYasha saw me do!_ Michiru couldn't help but think as they continued through the temple. _I mean...these fireballs are better than nothing, but still -!_

"Hold it," InuYasha spoke, halting in mid-step. As Michiru and the others also stopped, the demon narrowed his eyes and took a few sniffs of the air. "I smell blood..."

"Blood?" Michiru nervously repeated, not liking the sound of this at all. "Really?"

As Michiru once more wondered what kind of monstrosity they were dealing with, InuYasha nodded. "No doubt about it. Human blood. And the smell is strong."

"Let's be careful, InuYasha," Kagome urged him. "Remember what the villagers told us? About the spider's web?"

"Right. We need to be careful," Michiru nodded. "I've seen bugs get caught in a spider's web, and I don't want to wind up that way!"

"I know. But I didn't come all this way, just to turn tail now!" InuYasha declared, hoisting the Tetusaiga.

"We're not saying that!" Michiru immediately declared. "I'm just...we need to be careful. This is the spider's home, so he has a big advantage here. So..."

Trailing off uncertainly, trying to think how best to put what he was feeling into words, Michiru was brought up short when InuYasha snorted. "Tsk. You want to play it safe? Fine. The three of you, just stay here."

"Huh?!" Shippo started even as Michiru and Kagome reacted in surprise. "Wh-what are you saying, InuYasha?!"

"I don't care how strong you are, you'll get in trouble if you try and do everything by yourself!" Kagome seconded.

"Look, I - I wasn't saying that...I wasn't willing to help," Michiru piped up, feeling like he was responsible. "I just - what I meant was -"

"I know what you meant, kid. But it's better if I handle this, demon to demon," InuYasha stated, his voice not unkind. "You guys stay here. I'll kill this damned bug and be right back."

Without another word, InuYasha started down the hallway with the Tetsusaiga resting on his shoulder. As Michiru again wondered if he was somehow at fault, Shippo huffed in annoyance. "Ugh, he's always plowing on ahead without even thinking this stuff out!"

"There, Shippo," Kagome said in a soothing manner. "I know InuYasha might have sounded tough, but he's really just trying to keep us all safe."

"Then why doesn't he just say so?!" Shippo demanded.

"Oh, you know him," Kagome smiled fondly. "He's just too proud to say things like that."

Privately wondering why Kagome wasn't this understanding when InuYasha was actually close enough to hear her, Michiru just said, "I...see."

Giving a faint chuckle in her throat, Kagome looked like she was about to say something more. But before she could, her eyes went wide with surprise. "Wh-what the -?!" she started, immediately whirling about to look the way InuYasha had gone. "No - it can't be!"

Not liking the way Kagome was acting, Michiru just looked on as Shippo asked, "What is it, Kagome?"

After just staring down the hall for a few seconds, Kagome shook her head. "I - it's not possible," she began, the color draining from her face, "but...I sense it! I sense a shard of the Shikon Jewel!"

Michiru frowned, for these words had no meaning to him. But Shippo's eyes went wide with horror. _"What?!_ But - how come you're only sensing it _now?!"_

"I don't know! But - I can definitely sense it!" Kagome declared with increased urgency. "There's definitely a Jewel Shard down here! Maybe more than one!"

"Uh...Jewel Shard?" Michiru blankly repeated. Then his eyes went wide with realization. "Wait - you mean that thing you told me about before?!"

"That's right! The Jewel Shards are what we've been looking for!" Kagome tersely explained. "Originally, the Shikon Jewel was one sphere. But - it got broken, and - now it's in all these little shards that are spread all over Japan!"

"And if demons get any of the Shards, they can use them to become more powerful!" Shippo seconded.

Finally understanding their alarm, Michiru breathed, "So...if the spider-demon has these Shards, then -!"

"Then InuYasha's in danger!" Kagome declared, already starting forward. "Let's go, Shippo!"

"Right!" Shippo immediately agreed.

"Uh, sure!" Michiru hesitantly seconded. "Let's -!"

"Michiru, hold on!" Kagome broke in, pausing to look back and hold her hand out towards Michiru. "I think you should wait here!"

"Huh?" Michiru frowned uncertainly. "But - if InuYasha's in trouble, then -!"

"I'm sorry, but you're just too new to this sort of thing!" Kagome declared. "Just stay here, and keep your eyes open for any small demons! We'll be back as soon as possible!"

"Right!" Shippo agreed as Kagome continued her forward charge. "Don't worry, Michiru! We do this sort of thing all the time!"

Groaning in his throat, Michiru tried to think of something to say. But before he could, Shippo bounded after Kagome. And before long, they had disappeared from view.

Leaving the Kururugi boy alone for the first time since InuYasha found him.

 _I...I can't just stand here and do nothing!_ Michiru thought, already taking a step forward. But this foot was left to hover in mid-air before uncertainly returning to the floor as he mentally added, _But...what can I do to help?_

And as he stood there and thought things over, Michiru couldn't help but feel that there really was nothing he could do to assist the others. He hadn't been in this world for even a day, he knew nothing about how anything worked, nor did he have anywhere near the experience he was certain that InuYasha and the others had to have in dealing with menaces such as this.

In addition, the fireballs that were presently the extent of Michiru's arsenal were barely able to destroy even one of the minor demons to be found in this place. And judging by the way Kagome and Shippo were acting, this spider was far removed from those tiny pests.

 _If only I could use that spell again!_ Michiru thought, his mind rife with frustration as he culled forth the vague memories he had of his encounter with the cyclops. _I - I really appreciate that everybody's worried about me, but right now, all I am is a burden to them all! If only there was some way I could -!_

"What the hell _is this?!"_ came InuYasha's roaring voice. So fierce and penetrating that it immediately snapped Michiru from his thoughts.

Though that soon paled in comparison to how Kagome's subsequent shriek of terror sent chills down his spine.

"Wha -?! Kagome?! InuYasha?!" Michiru gasped out, fear clutching at his heart. "I - what's happening?!"

There was no answer to Michiru's question. And so before fear could claim him completely, steal his ability to act, he forced himself to break into a run. Dashing forth as fast as he could down the halls of the old temple, he soon found himself in front of an ornate doorway that was once likely a grand sight. But Michiru wasn't thinking about the decor or how it had fallen prey to the ravages of time and the demons residing there. He wasn't even thinking when he plunged through the door, crying out, "Everyone! Are you alright!? I - _gahh!"_

The horror that awaited forced Michiru to grind to a halt, for the interior of this chamber was as black and terrible a place as he would ever dare imagine. What once had likely been a majestic prayer chamber had long since been enveloped in huge layers of spider's web or broken down so that rock was exposed. As Michiru looked about, he saw his companions. Each and every one of them was trapped in mid-air, ensnared by even more web. InuYasha's arms and legs were spread out as far as they would go, while Kagome and Shippo were wrapped up in veritable cocoons.

And the creature that was responsible for all of this...

"My, my. So there's one more of you," hissed a foul face that only barely resembled that of a human. But this thing was not even remotely human.

Gasping in horror at the beast before him, Michiru couldn't help but shrink back a step. The thing that could only be the spider-demon that was now the terror of Akebi Village bobbed about with eager hunger as it focused on the Kururugi boy. It stood on eight massive, hairy legs, and had a body of poisonous purple. Huge, yellow horns sprouted from its forehead, and it glared at the boy with cruel, green eyes.

Sucking in a gasp, Michiru felt whatever courage he had abandoning him. Nothing, absolutely nothing, he had seen in this crazy world even came close to comparing to the demonic horror that perched before him. Its slitted eyes studying him like a restaurant patron would survey a gourmet meal.

"Don't you think you should run away?" the spider asked in a coy, cruel fashion. "Or did you come here to offer your blood to me as well?"

Nauseated by the sound of this thing's voice, Michiru was jolted when InuYasha shouted, "Get out of here, you idiot! You don't stand a chance against this thing!"

Jolted by these words, Michiru felt his legs trying to heed them. But then he looked about at his unlikely companions and took in just how helpless they were now. _I - I can't run! If I do, that - that...thing will eat them alive! But - what can I -?!_

As Michiru's eyes went from InuYasha to Kagome to Shippo and back, a strange sparkle caught his attention. Letting out a surprised gasp, he then focused on the source of the sparkle; a particular piece of rock that was part of the stone ceiling. _I...is that...Serpentine Rock?!_

In an instant, Michiru found himself flashing back to a short time earlier, when Kakuju had awoken his powers. _It's made from what is known as Serpentine,_ the Kakuju in his mind explained once more, _and thus, will react to the power you now wield._

 _React to...wait! The spell she showed me!_ Michiru thought, his eyes going wide with fresh hope. _The spider's web...it's all connected to that section of rock! So maybe -!_

"Aw...are we too afraid to even run?" the spider coyly asked, once again prompting Michiru to look at the eight-legged horror that was even now slowly approaching. "Then I guess I'll drink your blood first...!"

"Dammit, you idiot! Don't just stand there!" InuYasha roared desperately, straining futilely at the web restraints. "Run! Run already!"

"Please!" Kagome pleaded even as she thrashed about desperately. "You have to get out of here!"

"Quick! Run away!" Shippo cried out, so thoroughly bound that he couldn't even more.

But Michiru didn't run. He just stood there, glowering at the monster. Then he swung his gaze at the people that he had known only a brief time, but already evinced greater fear for his life than for their own. And then, finally, he again focused on the Serpentine Rock that hung above him.

Focused on the power he now knew lay within. And the knowledge given to him by Kakuju.

"Oh, flame burning bright!" Michiru began, the words coming freely and of their own accord. A hazy crimson pentagram spinning into existence at his feet. "Change form at my call! Grieving Flame!"

An instant later, a burning lion made up of the very fires Michiru was invoking erupted from the pentagram. The mighty beast gave a powerful roar before transforming into a surge of fire that struck both the Serpentine Rock and the webs.

The result was instantaneous. The rock shattered, exploding into a million pieces. And with it gone, the webs that held InuYasha and the others up in the air lost a critical anchor and the spider's prisoners were sent crashing to the ground.

"Wh-what?!" the spider gasped, skittering back as its web fell apart. Moving as fast as it could to avoid the flames that were ravaging its lair.

"Gah!" InuYasha cried out as he crashed to the ground.

"Ouch!" Kagome yelped as she fell.

"Waugh!" Shippo cried out as his web cocoon hit the floor, bounced, and then bounced about some more. "Hey - what - fire?!"

It was indeed fire. The flames of Michiru's spell had not stopped with destroying the Serpentine Rock. Even as Michiru looked on, tongues of flame ran up and down the many strands of web, devouring them greedily. And since all of the lines of web were interconnected in some way or shape, it wasn't long before they were surrounded by fire. Fire coursing up and down the walls, fire that surged across the floors. And as Michiru looked on, fire that raced about the webs that restrained InuYasha and the others, destroying their bonds.

With clear amazement, Kagome watched as the fires dissolved the webs, but failed to do anything to harm her or her clothes. It wasn't long before she was restored to how she had been before being caught. "What - how?!"

"Michiru freed us!" Shippo grinned happily.

"Yeah!" InuYasha declared as he leaped to his feet and brandished the Tetsusaiga. Glaring pure fury at the spider-demon, the silver-maned demon snarled, "Let's see how tough you are without your sticky crap!"

"Why...damn you!" the spider roared, well and truly infuriated now. Since it was so large and in a confined space, it had not been as fortunate in avoiding the flames Michiru had unleashed. And unlike Michiru's companions, it had also been burned by the spell. Even now, tongues of flame licked at its exoskeleton, devoured the hairs adorning its body. "I'll eat you alive...I drink you all dry!"

"Don't bet on it! _Wind Scar!"_ InuYasha snarled even as he swung his sword. To Michiru's surprise, blades of energy erupted from the swung sword, carving furrows through the air before crashing into the spider. The hideous beast screeched in pain as massive furrows were gouged out of its body.

Even as Michiru was marveling at the power unleashed by the Tetsusaiga, the spider screeched in defiance and leaped up and away from the blast. As the remainder of the blast expended itself against the far wall, the spider was descending upon the small group, its fangs bared...even as it spat forth even more webbing at the group.

InuYasha and the others were quick to dodge. But Michiru hesitated just a moment too long, and his legs were snared.

"Ack!" Michiru cried out even as he fell down to the ground. "Oh, no! I -!"

"Not so fast, creep!" Kagome cried out even as Michiru froze, caught between trying to free himself and the spider. But it turned out that he didn't have to worry; even as he was conjuring another fireball, an arrow found its way into the spider's mouth. And to Michiru's considerable surprise, the horrid beast screeched in pain...right before the arrow exploded out of the other side of its body.

 _Huh?! But how did -?!_ Michiru started to ask, only to shake his head as the spider snarled and struck at Kagome with its foremost legs. _No! I have to get free first! Then I can help!_

With this, Michiru focused the fiery magic he held on the webs. As they started burning away, Shippo was peppering the spider with what looked like firecrackers. But while they kept the hideous beast distracted and confused, they didn't seem to be doing any serious damage.

 _In fact - is it healing?!_ Michiru mentally demanded even as he continued to burn away the webs. But even as he did so, he studied the spider and realized that it was already recovering. Before his very eyes, the flesh that had been blasted away was growing back at an astonishing rate. _Oh, no -!_

"Get on your feet, kid!" came InuYasha's voice. Before Michiru could do more than process his words, he was roughly hauled back up onto his feet, what little remained of the webs tearing away from his legs. "This isn't a time for lying around!"

Glancing between the dog-eared demon and the monstrous spider, Michiru momentarily struggled for words. "I - that thing, it's healing so fast! So -!"

"I know! It's got a Jewel Shard! Found that out the hard way!" InuYasha irately snarled. "Kagome, the Jewel Shard! Where is it?!"

"It's _inside_ the spider! In its stomach!" Kagome tersely reported even as she fired another arrow.

"And there's only one way you'll reach it!" the spider hissed menacingly even as it turned its attention towards Kagome. "Care to see it... _firsthand?!"_

With, the spider charged at Kagome, spewing webs once again. Crying out in alarm, the modern girl jumped to avoid the strike, but this left her no time to ready another arrow. And the spider was moving very fast.

"No, Kagome!" Michiru cried out, conjuring up another fireball.

"Get away from her!" InuYasha snarled as he raised his massive sword, winds swirling about it.

And as he did so, Michiru was hit with inspiration. Suddenly recalling how his fireball had seemed to make Shippo's foxfire more powerful, he readied to throw his current fireball. And threw it right at InuYasha's sword even as he swung it.

"Hey! What the -?!" InuYasha cried out in surprise as the crimson fireball exploded about the Wind Scar, lacing the blast with a blue radiance. And as Michiru and the demon looked on, the Tetsusaiga's blast exploded in size and power.

But something went horribly wrong.

Before Michiru's eyes, the many bands of the Wind Scar began to waver and distort, careening in multiple directions. "I - oh no!" he cried out in horror. "Everybody, _watch out!"_

"Wha - _ack!_ " Kagome shrieked even as one surge of power from the Tetsusaiga careened towards her. Her eyes widening in fear, the raven-haired girl flung herself out of the Wind Scar blast's path, just barely avoiding its wrath.

"Ahhhh!" Shippo cried out as he avoided another of the blasts. "InuYasha, what are you -?!"

"Don't look at me!" InuYasha immediately snarled, jabbing a clawed finger at Michiru. "This idiot over here is the one who -!"

 _"Scrreeeee-yarrrrghhh!"_ the spider-demon screeched, silencing everyone else. And as Michiru looked towards the monster, he saw that his effort had succeeded to extant. For while his fireball had caused the Wind Scar to go out of control, it had definitely increased its power. Even as several of the streamers of demonic power had spiraled out of control, most of them had found their intended target. And now the spider was being ripped apart, very nearly cut in half from the potent blast.

As the Wind Scar expended itself, however, Michiru noticed the spider's tattered body already beginning to regenerate. "InuYasha -!"

"You don't have to tell me, kid!" InuYasha snarled as he leaped at the broken arachnid. At the apex of his leap, he angled the Tetsusaiga's blade down upon the center of the spider's body. With a hideous shlucking sound and a huge spatter of blood, the crescent blade drilled into the sundered flesh, sending something shiny flying into the air.

Taking note of the object, Michiru studied its arc and starting moving. "I've got it!"

"Wait! No, don't -!" Kagome cried out, but it was already too late. Michiru easily caught the object in his bare hand.

"Hmm," Michiru frowned even as he moved to study the crystal. "This Shard...it feels..."

There was the sound of something falling, prompting Michiru to look up. As he did, he saw what remained of the spider falling to pieces. And that wasn't much; in the brief time he had been distracted, the huge spider-demon's remains had broken down almost into nothingness, evaporating into a putrid cloud that was rising up into the air. Leaving InuYasha to sheathe his sword and scowl as he marched towards Michiru.

"What do you think you're doing?!" InuYasha demanded as he approached Michiru. "That Shard's dangerous! Drop it already!"

Michiru gave a puzzled squawk, but before he could move, Kagome approached him from the side. "That's strange," she mused even as she plucked the Jewel Shard from his hand. "This Shard is - or was - tainted with demonic power! But...well, it doesn't seem to have done anything to you."

"Huh?" Michiru frowned, not liking the sound of this. Recalling the alarm and anger InuYasha had displayed at his touching the Shard, he then wondered, "Wait...are they dangerous? I mean, you let me hold that one before, and -!"

"The Jewel Shard I lent you was _purified,_ Michiru. But this one was rife with demonic energies when it came out of the spider, and tainted Shards are _extremely_ dangerous," Kagome tersely explained. Then she frowned and studied the boy. "But...it doesn't seem to have done anything to you. Are you feeling okay?"

"Huh?" Michiru frowned, pausing to take stock. Tempted to say that nothing had felt okay since he landed there, he instead sighed. "Well...I'm a bit freaked out, but...I don't feel any different. Or - well, I don't feel like I've been poisoned or I'm sick or...or anything else like that."

"Maybe this Shikigami thing of yours protected you from the Jewel Shard," Shippo suggested.

"Possibly. I guess it's the only thing that makes sense," Kagome decided. "But - well, anyway. Thank you so for much for coming to help us. I thought we were done for!"

"And we almost _were_ done for when you screwed up my Wind Scar!" InuYasha declared with a touch of heat.

"InuYasha -!" Shippo swiftly countered even as Kagome scowled at him.

"No, no. Shippo, he's right. I really messed that one up," Michiru quickly conceded. When everyone turned to him, with InuYasha's eyes widening, he went on to explain, "After what happened when our attacks combined before, I thought that maybe I could also boost the Tetsusaiga's power as well. And with the way that spider kept healing from everything you were doing, I thought that...well, that might be our only shot. I didn't know that anything like that would happen." Then he heaved a sigh and bowed in apology. "Still, that's...that's no excuse, and...I'm sorry I put you all in danger."

The others just stood there in silence, with InuYasha looking utterly flabbergasted. But after standing there and staring for a few seconds, blinking in confusion, he gave a loud snort and looked away. "Well, everybody's safe now, so...that's what matters." Then he gave Michiru a sideways glance and added, "At least you're not _totally_ useless."

Unsure of what to say to this, Michiru just stood there, making a strangled sound in his throat. But even as he was trying to figure out what to say, Shippo said, "That's just his way of thanking you. He's like that."

"Aw, shut up, Shippo!" InuYasha growled. "And kid - Michiru - well...just don't do anything stupid like that again, got it?!"

"Don't worry, I won't!" Michiru hastily vowed, holding up his hands before him. "But - I'm definitely going to ask Kakuju about it the next time I see her!"

"Good idea!" Kagome nodded. "But for now - hey, what's that?"

"Huh?" Michiru frowned, watching as Kagome looked off in the distance. Following her gaze, he found his heart falling into his stomach as he caught sight of an artifact of web that had survived the battle. An object that looked nothing more than a large ball of spider's silk. "Uh...what is that? I - spider's don't make cocoons, do they?"

"No, they don't," Kagome informed him with a note of alarm. "But...it could be an egg sack. Which means..."

As Michiru groaned at the thought of who knew how many baby spiders inside that sack, InuYasha grunted in disgust. "What are you two getting so worked up about?! There aren't any spiders in that thing!"

"Huh?!" Shippo started even as InuYasha marched up to the web bundle. "What do you mean?!"

"Just _this!"_ InuYasha declared even as he started hacking the web sack open with his sword. A few seconds passed before the bundle fell apart...allowing the demon to lift a little girl from it. "Hey, there, kid!"

"Wow!" breathed the little girl even as she looked up at the demon. "Are - are you here to save me?"

"Ah...you must be Sachi!" Kagome declared even as Michiru sighed in relief. "And yes, we're here to save you. I - are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

Sachi gave a quick shake of her head. "No, not really. But...how did you know my name?"

"Your mom and dad asked us to get you back," Michiru explained.

"Are they gonna be relieved to see you!" Shippo chimed in.

"We're just lucky that that spider hadn't gotten around to eating you yet," InuYasha declared in a course but not unkind manner. "Now c'mon. Let's get out of here before anything else goes wrong!"

Unable to disagree with that, Michiru nodded and followed as InuYasha led the way back up to the surface.

* * *

"There you go," Michiru beamed at the little girl as the small group arrived at the entrance to Akebi Village. "Now you be sure to go right back home. We have some other business to take care of, so we'll be right back as soon as that's taken care of, okay?"

"Yes, of course!" Sachi assured him as she smiled broadly. "Again, thanks so much for saving me!"

As Sachi smiled and scampered off, Michiru, Kagome, and Shippo waved. "Now that Sachi's safe, we really need to talk to Grandma Kakuju. And thank her for teaching Michiru about the Shikigami," Kagome declared once Sachi was out of sight. "If it weren't for her doing that, we wouldn't have been able to destroy that giant spider."

"Good idea, Kagome!" Shippo nodded. Then he gave InuYasha a smarmy look and added, "We sure couldn't depend on a certain _someone_ who said he'd take care of it...!"

Stung by this thinly-veiled insult, InuYasha growled in his throat. But before he could say anything, Michiru broke in and said, "C'mon, Shippo. I'm sure that InuYasha could've handled it if it weren't for that Jewel Shard." As the half-demon gave him a look of surprise, he went on to say, "But - yeah, I do want to thank Grandma Kakuju. And ask her about what went wrong before." Pausing to sigh, he then shook his head and muttered, "There's just so much that we don't know about this whole...Shikigami thing. And until we find out..."

"Right. So let's get going," InuYasha declared even as he started forward. Eager to start making sense of everything that had happened thus far...and hide the shame he felt at his earlier folly.

 _Dammit! How could I have made such a stupid mistake?!_ the half-demon demanded of himself. _I just waltzed right into that thing's web and let it take me by surprise! And that's something that_ shouldn't _have happened, Jewel Shard or no Jewel Shard!_

It had been a stupid mistake. An amateur error that would have cost InuYasha and everyone else dearly if they had been dealing with a more formidable enemy like Naraku. And it still might have gotten them all killed if not for Michiru managing to free them all.

 _One thing's for sure; this kid's got more courage than I thought,_ InuYasha decided. _He might be a bit of a doormat, but he didn't run out on us, even when we told him to. And...well, at least he admitted that he screwed up with that fireball. So having him around might not be so bad after all._ Then he scowled, again thinking about how his attempt to combine powers had failed so miserably. _As long as he can figure out how to use his powers better, that is!_

With that, InuYasha and the others made their way to the small pond where they had last seen the wizened old woman. And even before they reached the pond, the half-demon knew that he would be there; the smell of old age made that clear.

 _Kinda like Kaede,_ InuYasha thought, giving a slight snicker. Only for the snicker to fall flat as he glanced at another of his companions. _And..._

"Ah, back already?" came an aged voice. Startled from the dour turn his thoughts were taking, InuYasha looked up to see Kakuju already looking at them, a wizened smile upon her lips. "And yet you've already experienced so much."

"Boy, I'll say!" Shippo declared with a nod.

"Indeed. In fact, I can already tell that you've learned something about using the power of the Shikigami. How to wield it in battle," Kakuju noted with clear satisfaction. "So...why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Alright," Michiru nodded. And with that, he began telling Kakuju about everything that happened.

As Michiru reached the end of his narrative, he paused to shake his head in shame. "I still don't know why things went wrong when I tried boosting the Wind Scar," he admitted once more. "I was actually hoping that you might be able to explain it to me."

"I see. I have to admit to being surprised that you defeated the spider. And despite your concern, it's obvious that you've gotten much better at using the power of Shikigami," Kakuju declared. "However, I fear that you will have to become much better at it in the near future."

"Yeah, that's obvious!" InuYasha grumbled, not one to tolerate it when someone who knew something he needed to know proceeded to ramble on instead of just spitting it out. "Now what happened when Michiru hit the Wind Scar with that fireball?! Why did it cause it to go crazy?!"

"Because, as I've said, the power of the Shikigami is a universal power. It exists throughout all of nature, and you are all part of nature," Kakuju began in a sage manner. "The Shikigami can do much more than break rocks or project balls of fire. For example, and as you've already gathered, it can be added to the power of other people. As long as they _accept_ that power."

"Accept it?" Michiru wondered with a slight frown. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that...do you trust your new companions? Would you trust them not to abandon you or worse, no matter what?" Kakuju wondered in a keen manner. "And what about you? Do you trust this boy?"

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but InuYasha proceeded to snort and demand, "Hey, we only just met this kid! And what does trust have to do with anything?!"

"InuYasha, don't be so rude!" Kagome growled, giving the half-demon a dirty look before sweetening her demeanor for the others. "I - well, of _course_ we trust Michiru! I mean - you saved our lives!"

"I have no doubt that he did. But as InuYasha already pointed out, Michiru is a relative stranger to you. And trust is something that is something that is not easily given or earned," Kakuju explained. "Which, in the end, is part of the reason why your power went wild when Michiru tried to increase it."

 _"Part_ of the reason?" Shippo repeated. "You mean there's something else."

"Indeed. For while you were correct in that the Shikigami have the ability to bolster the powers of others, Michiru...the method you used was crude at best." Then Kakuju gave a canny smile and added, "Which is why I will now teach you the _proper_ means of combining your powers with others, and more."

"Uh - really?!" Michiru started, clearly pleased and surprised.

"Yes. Not only have you proven that you can be trusted to wield such power, but it is clear that you will need to be able to do so in the times to come." With that, Kakuju gestured for Michiru to approach. "Just like before, Michiru. Just take my hand, close your eyes, and relax."

"Okay," Michiru nodded, already heeding Kakuju's words. Soon the modern boy was standing before the ancient woman, her hand upon his. And once more, a crimson pentagram was spinning into existence at their feet.

 _I wonder if this strange old granny has the same kind of powers Michiru has?_ InuYasha wondered to himself as a magical haze surrounded Michiru and Kakuju. It didn't take long for him to decide that this had to be the case. _It makes sense. It'd be about the only way she'd be able to know so much about it. But if so - then how did she happen to be right here? Right near where Michiru first showed up here? Did she have something to do with -?_

"There," Kakuju finally declared. Startled from his thoughts, InuYasha soon realized that the magical haze and pentagram had already faded away. "Now the knowledge of how to use the Shikigami and the spells you can call forth shall awaken in you as you increase your skills and capabilities. Already, you should know how to use a...certain spell."

"Right," Michiru nodded with a more confident smile. Then he turned towards the others and added, "Watch this!" Then he turned towards the pond and began an invocation. "Oh, flame burning bright, turn into a sword of wrath! Raging Flame!"

With these words, a pentagram spun into existence at Michiru's feet, right before a lion of flame exploded forth from it. A lion that shot above the water before lancing down upon it like a searing sword of fire, causing a massive plume of steam to billow up from it.

"Whoa!" InuYasha declared even as the steam washed over them all. "Now _that_ was more like it, granny!"

Chuckling at this, Kakuju again focused on Michiru. "Also, now you should know how to better mingle your energies with those of others in order to increase their powers."

"Hmm...yeah," Michiru shakily nodded. "I mean...I'm still a bit uncertain, but - I think I've got it."

"Good. But just remember, you must build up the bonds of trust between yourself and the others in order to bond your powers with their own. Otherwise, the incident that happened before will be as of nothing compared to the chaos that can result of an improper merging of your powers," Kakuju warned him. "And as you practice and gain more experience, not only will you be better able to use the Shikigami to fight, but you will also learn the many other different powers they have."

"Really?" Michiru smiled hopefully.

"Yes, really," Kakuju nodded. "Now, then. I think you had best be off. There's still much that you must accomplish." When Michiru opened his mouth to speak, the old woman held out her hand to him. "But don't fret; I'm certain we will meet again."

 _Yeah...I don't doubt it,_ InuYasha thought, still having his doubts about Kakuju.

As for Michiru, it was clear that he didn't share the half-demon's cautions. But he still hesitated before giving a faint and smile and nodding. "Alright. Thanks, Grandma Kakuju."

"And now that that's settled, let's check in on Sachi and her family," Kagome suggested. "Hopefully, they'll have settled down somewhat."

* * *

"Oh, thank you all so much!" Yone openly wept as she cradled Sachi to herself. "Oh, my sweet Sachi...!"

As he cradled both his wife and his daughter to him, Gosuke also looked up at the small group. "Sachi, she...she told us all about how you saved her, and...thank you all so much for...for everything that you've done!"

Feeling a bit embarrassed by both the praise being lavished and the fact that they were present for such a display, Michiru blushed a bit. "Oh, I...well..."

"It's okay. And you shouldn't have any trouble with demons again. At least for a while," Kagome beamed even as she turned towards the demon. "Right, InuYasha?"

Giving a mild snort, InuYasha replied, "Yeah...but only because we have to face the damned spider and temple and all of the rest of it!"

Practically feeling the scowl Kagome was leveling at the demon, Michiru was about to speak when Gosuke spoke instead. "Of course. It must have been terrible!" With that, the villager surrendered his grasp on his family and approached the small group. "Here. I'd like for you to have this," he said, handing them a number of coins. "Please accept it as thanks for saving our daughter."

"Uh...money?" Michiru frowned even as he glanced about at the Gosuke's home. It was a frail-looking place, apparently crafted from whatever materials were just lying around. As bad as Kaede's home had appeared, this place looked even worse. Making it clear that these people did not have much money to begin with. "I don't know...I mean, with everything you people have to live with..."

"Please, take it," Gosuke implored him, holding the coins out even closer to Michiru. "Both as our thanks...and an apology for how we treated you at first."

"We know it's not much," Yone admitted as she continued to hold Sachi. "But...perhaps it will help you as you try and find your way back home."

Again, Michiru opened his mouth to protest. But before he could utter a single word, Kagome said, "I think we should take it. After all, they really are trying to apologize and...well, everything else." Before Michiru could respond to this, she leaned in closer and added, "Besides, _we_ need money as well."

Michiru started to reply, but before he could, Kagome's point struck home. They also needed to buy things such as food and so on, and it was obvious that Kaede and her village simply didn't have the resources to fund their journeys. And given that he and Kagome were from a different time, it was a safe bet that their modern currency wouldn't do them an ounce of good in the Feudal Era.

Still feeling uncomfortable at this, Michiru then heaved a sigh and nodded. "You're right," he hesitantly stated even as he held out his hand. "In that case, I'll accept it. Thank you."

"No," Gosuke tearfully smiled as he handed Michiru the money. "Thank you. All of you!"

"Thank you!" Sachi happily chimed in.

As Michiru took and pocketed the money, wondering what exactly this amounted to in modern times, InuYasha declared, "We need to get moving. We still need to find out how you got here, kid."

"Right. And we don't want to be out on the road at night if we can help it," Kagome added with a nod. "There's still plenty of demons out there."

Groaning at the thought of again tackling that demon-infested path back to Kaede's Village, Michiru sighed. "Okay. I guess you're right." Then he turned towards Gosuke and his family and smiled for their sake. "Take care of yourselves, okay?"

"We will! And please, be safe on your journey!" Gosuke pleaded of them as Michiru and the others departed.

* * *

"Be safe, Michiru," Kakuju whispered as she watched through eyes not her own. Seeing but not really seeing through the power of the spirits. Through the power of her own familiars, even as Michiru and his companions started down the path back home. "You...who remind me so much of...him..."

* * *

"Ugh...we _finally_ made it...!" Shippo groaned as Kagome and the others reached Kaede's Village. And with the exception of InuYasha, they were all as tired as the little fox was.

"I know how you feel," Kagome nodded as she mopped her sweaty brow. "I thought things were bad before, but with all of these demons running around..." Pausing to heave a tired sigh, she then flashed Michiru a kindly smile. "But...at least it wasn't as bad coming back."

At this, Michiru gave a tiny, shy smile. During their trip back from Akebi Village, he had been quick to put the power of the Shikigami to good use, bringing down more than his fair share demons. With all of the demonstrations of Michiru's Raging Flame spell, Kagome didn't doubt for a moment that the path to and from Akebi Village would reek of roasted demons for days.

"I'm just glad I was actually able to help this time," Michiru said with a slight shrug. "And...I have to admit, it's nice not feeling as...well - helpless in this world."

"Hmph. I know what you mean!" InuYasha gruffly declared as he continued forward. "Now let's get back to Kaede's and have something to eat! I'm starving!"

"I'm pretty hungry, too," Michiru admitted with a sheepish expression.

"So am I," Kagome added. "But first thing's first. Kaede's bound to be worried about us. First, we tell her what happened, and then we eat!"

Giving an impatient snort, InuYasha replied, "Then let's hurry back and tell her already!"

With this, the irate half-demon started moving even faster. Leaving Kagome to roll her eyes and shake her head. _Honestly, when is he ever gonna grow up...?_

Pausing to picture InuYasha in some kind of obedience school and tittering at the image of the trainers of said school struggling to keep him under control with a dog collar and leash, Kagome moved to follow. Michiru and Shippo weren't far behind, and it wasn't long before they arrived at Kaede's house. The instant they reached the door, Kagome pulled aside the simple beaded curtain that served as a door. "We're back, Kaede!"

"Oh. And welcome back, all of you!" Kaede replied, smiling good-naturedly as she turned to greet them. The aged priestess was tending to a pot of some form of stew. "So, did you find any clues as to how Michiru arrived here?"

At these words, Michiru sighed and shook his head. "No...we didn't find anything."

"But we learned about Michiru's power!" Shippo chimed in as he entered as well. "It's something called Shikigami!"

"Shikigami, you say?" Kaede repeated, raising an eyebrow at this. "They are spirits that are typically summoned by practitioners of Onmyōdō. Though some priests and priestesses are capable of creating them. Tell me more about what happened."

Without hesitation, Kagome and the others related to Kaede everything that had happened since their departure. They told about their encounter with Kakuju, the awakening of Michiru's powers, and the battle with the spider. "And it was just when InuYasha was about to be killed that Michiru saved him with the Shikigami power!" Shippo concluded. "And it's a good thing, too! Because you know how we can't ever depend on - _ouch!"_

"Shut it, Shippo!" InuYasha growled, driving his fist down into the little fox's skull.

"Why, you -!" Kagome started, instantly outraged at the half-demon's foul temper and predisposition to beating up on those that couldn't fight back. "InuYasha, _sit!"_

With a sense of satisfaction, Kagome watched as the rude and insufferable half-demon was sent crashing down to the ground. "Kagome, you didn't have to - here!" A bit surprised, she then watched as he bent down to help InuYasha. "Here. Let me help you up."

"I -!" InuYasha immediately growled, only to stop when Michiru slipped his hand beneath his shoulder and started helping him back up to his feet. "Now hold on, I -!"

"Now, Kagome, I know InuYasha shouldn't have hit Shippo, but don't you think that was...excessive?" Michiru wondered as the half-demon recovered. "I mean, can't you just ask him to -?"

"Hey, if you'd been hanging around this idiot as long as I have, then you'd know that this is the only thing that he listens to!" Kagome declared, folding her arms across her chest.

"That's right!" Shippo chimed in. "Just wait until you've had to put up with that bonehead for a few days! Then you'll see! That idiot is always picking on me!"

Looking somewhat discomforted, Michiru looked like he was about to say something more. But before anything else could be said, Kaede cleared her throat. "Well, whatever the case, Michiru, it would seem that if it weren't for you, then InuYasha and the others would be standing here before me. So...thank you for that."

Blinking a few times at this, Michiru sighed and shook his head. "No...to be honest, all I was really able to do was free everyone. And I wound up causing them a lot of trouble when I messed up trying to help InuYasha." As InuYasha gave him a look of surprise, Michiru sighed once more. "I have so much more to learn about this whole...Shikigami thing, or I'll just slow everyone here down."

"Even if it takes time, please don't push yourself too hard in trying to master your abilities. Or you'll ultimately do yourself and others more harm than good. Be patient," Kaede pleaded of him. "And now that that's settled, I think now would be a good time to relax and have something to eat."

"Hmph. Best idea I've heard all day!" InuYasha declared with a snort.

* * *

The rest of the day passed slowly with Michiru and the others eating a filling meal of stew and some odds and ends Kagome had brought from their native time. It wasn't long afterward that the sun descended beneath the horizon, shrouding the land in darkness. But it was a darkness far more complete than anything he was accustomed to.

 _No streetlights, no bedroom lights, no passing cars or bikes...nothing!_ Michiru thought as he sat outside of Kaede's small home. Glancing back at where the others except for InuYasha now slept, the demon having taken to some nearby trees to rest, the modern boy sighed and looked up at the sky. _Well, except for the stars. And...my own light..._

Glancing down at the small fireball he had conjured to help illuminate his first night in the Feudal Era, Michiru paused to study the sky. He just sat there for a long while, looking at the stars and a skyline so different from what he was used to.

Right until a voice asked, "Can't sleep, huh?"

"Huh?!" Michiru started, looking about for the speaker. Only to settle down somewhat when he saw that it was Kagome. "Uh...oh...yeah. I...guess it's...it's pretty obvious, huh?"

Nodding to this, Kagome moved to sit next to Michiru. "I was the same way when I first came here. I honestly thought that...I was trapped here forever! Everything was so...so different! No phones, no hot water, no lights or TV or anything!" Then she smiled thoughtfully and added, "But...it's not _all_ bad here! The air is fresh, the water's clean, the skies are clear...it can be really beautiful here!"

"It's sure easier to see the stars," Michiru conceded as he continued to scan the skies above. "Even when we went camping, there were never so many stars in the sky."

"I know. It took a while to get used to that. Or how dark it could get at night." Then Kagome frowned somewhat and looked worriedly at the boy. "Michiru, you really should go to bed. I know it can't be easy for you, with everything that's happening, but...you have to get some sleep! You've already been through so much today, and if we're going to find out what brought you here, then you really need your rest."

"I know, I know. And there's still so much that I have to learn about this Shikigami stuff," Michiru agreed, still cradling the orb of light close. "I just...I can't stop thinking about everything that's happened. Every time I lied down and closed my eyes...it was like everything that's been going on, it just -"

"- kept bouncing around in your head and wouldn't stop?" Starting at the way Kagome said these words, Michiru looked about. And saw her giving him a sad smile. "Yeah. I went through that as well." She seemed to consider what she should say next, but then shook her head. "I...alright. Just don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Okay," Michiru nodded. "And...thanks, Kagome."

"No problem," Kagome nodded in response. And without another word, she made her way back to Kaede's house.

As for Michiru, he returned his gaze to the stars as he continued to sit there. Still studying the stars even as he wrestled with the chaos flooding his mind. _I have no idea what's going to happen next. I'm trapped in the past that's crawling with demons and who-knows-what, I suddenly have powers that I don't even understand, and I have no idea how I can get back home,_ Michiru thought, summing up his woes as best as he could. But then he glanced back at the small house and added, _But...at least I'm not alone. So...maybe I can get through this..._

Then Michiru thought about the madness of that day and sighed. _At least...I_ hope _I can.._.

* * *

Author's Notes: Ugh, it has been a long and painful time since I've been able to update any of my works. I made the mistake of trying to take four classes in one semester in college, and needless to say, that is something I will not be doing again! But even so, I hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter! So please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories?

Uruz 11, yeah, Michiru's having a rough time of things. Still, I had planned on adding some angst, simply because...well, that's what someone would go through in that sort of situation. Indeed, it's just way too easy for a fight to start between InuYasha and Kagome. As for Shippo, I think he intentionally sets off InuYasha, simply because he knows that Kagome will immediately sit him. Indeed, InuYasha has so much pride and so little faith in...well, much of anyone. So it's no surprise that he refused Michiru's help. But don't worry, the half-demon will learn to trust Michiru over time. I do agree that InuYasha, while crude, does have the best of intentions. And, ugh, all of those enemy encounters in the game...you just know that this will be agony for Michiru and the others. I still remember tearing my hair out over having to deal with them all! Ugh! Yes, meeting with Kakuju was a stroke of luck. I'm going to be exploring the fact that she was so nearby when he arrived later on in the story. Yeah, I'm still struggling to get my life back in order. And I get the feeling that things are going to be a struggle for everyone for the next four years *cough* Donald Trump *cough*. And I'm presently working on updates for all of my stories, including "Battle Across Time". And I'm going to be giving Sango a bit of spotlight in the next chapter, so look forward to that!

J4RRE77, wrong story. It's in Battle Across Time where Kagome's being a complete jerk. And I'm not planning on messing that up, so don't worry.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint, well, it seemed fitting to include some angst and so on. It's not something that people went into in regards to the game. I would've expected Michiru to be more upset about being trapped in the past. But then again, they didn't do a lot of angst with Kagome when she first landed in the past, either. So...yeah. And Michiru won't be figuring out all of the Shikigami animals. Not in this story, anyway. I will be developing Michiru and InuYasha's friendship, though it will take time for it to flourish. I'm just glad to finally be getting productive again. Being an emotional wreck sorta kills one's literary juices.

Fenikkusumaru 2.0, sorry, life has not been good to me. But hopefully, this is a good omen of things to come. Fingers crossed here.


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